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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 · march · rash · spring · track · board · bay · kid

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. march — music
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bound — tied together
  7. track — a song
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bound — certain
  12. track — a path
  13. kid — child
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. bound — obliged
  19. spring — the season
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. spring — of water

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