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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · bowl · spring · temple · board · cell · bound · trunk

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. land — a country
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. spring — of water
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. board — to get on
  11. bound — tied together
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. land — to come down
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bound — obliged
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cell — in biology
  22. land — ground
  23. board — a committee
  24. cell — in a prison

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