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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: bound · arm · charge · spring · hand · bowl · ground · prune

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. hand — help
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. ground — crushed
  8. spring — of water
  9. prune — to trim
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spring — the season
  12. charge — in control
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. ground — the earth
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bound — tied together
  24. spring — a coil

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