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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 · can · present · hide · toast · bound · court · spring

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. present — there
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. can — a tin
  5. bound — certain
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bound — obliged
  8. present — a gift
  9. spring — a coil
  10. court — of a king
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. roll — a cake
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. court — for sport
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — bread
  18. roll — a list
  19. court — of law
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. present — the time now
  22. can — a tin
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bound — tied together

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