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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · row · straw · rule · spring · bound · swing · nail

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. swing — to play on
  3. row — a line
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spring — of water
  9. roll — a list
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bound — certain
  12. rule — a law
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. spring — the season
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rule — government
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bound — obliged
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com