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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.

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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 · spell · bowl · bound · march · court · press · cap

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bound — obliged
  3. court — of law
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. press — newspapers
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. press — to push
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. march — music
  12. court — of a king
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bound — certain
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spell — letters
  18. march — the month
  19. cap — a hat
  20. court — for sport
  21. spring — a coil
  22. march — the month
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. spell — magic

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