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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: roll · wound · band · lie · net · spring · saw · court

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. court — for sport
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. spring — of water
  5. net — after costs
  6. saw — the tool
  7. band — a music group
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lie — to recline
  10. court — of law
  11. spring — the season
  12. court — of a king
  13. net — for catching
  14. band — a ring
  15. roll — a list
  16. spring — a coil
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. net — in sport
  19. wound — an injury
  20. roll — a cake
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lie — an untruth

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