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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: drill · fork · game · spring · bulb · bat · stand · bound

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. game — a match
  9. spring — of water
  10. bound — tied together
  11. spring — the season
  12. drill — a practice
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bound — obliged
  17. drill — army training
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bound — certain
  24. bat — for baseball

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