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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 · lean · firm · wind · game · jam · pitcher

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. firm — steady
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. firm — a company
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. firm — decided
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — tied together
  11. spring — of water
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bound — obliged
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. game — a match
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bound — certain
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. spring — the season
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. game — wild animals

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