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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: bound · spring · cabinet · rest · chest · spell · game · foot

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. game — a match
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rest — a break
  6. spell — letters
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bound — tied together
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bound — certain
  15. spell — magic
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. spring — the season
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bound — obliged
  22. spring — of water
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. foot — a measure

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