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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: rush · mug · foot · court · bound · spring · fall · pop

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. court — of law
  3. spring — the season
  4. fall — the season
  5. pop — soda
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spring — a coil
  8. court — for sport
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pop — music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — a measure
  15. spring — of water
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. court — of a king
  24. mug — a face

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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