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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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Word bank
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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: arm · roll · foot · spring · club · spell · saw · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spring — of water
  5. spell — magic
  6. club — a group
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. roll — a list
  10. spring — the season
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. spell — a short time
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. roll — a cake
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. spell — letters
  21. spring — a coil
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. bound — tied together

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