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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: spring · bound · ball · lash · coach · game · fork · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bound — obliged
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. spring — of water
  12. march — the month
  13. game — a match
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bound — tied together
  19. spring — the season
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bound — certain
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. march — the month

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