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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: arm · court · kick · spring · bound · pitcher · leaves · craft

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. spring — of water
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bound — certain
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. court — of law
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — of a king
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. craft — boats
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. craft — a skill
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. court — for sport
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. spring — the season
  24. kick — in football

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