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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: spring · rush · game · bulb · bark · chair · bound · nail

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spring — of water
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bulb — for light
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bound — certain
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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