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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: field · capital · sharp · ruler · bound · bay · spring · bear

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. capital — money
  4. bear — the animal
  5. sharp — clever
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bound — obliged
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spring — of water
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. spring — a coil
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spring — the season
  14. field — for sport
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. field — farmland
  17. bear — the animal
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. field — a subject
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. capital — a city
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bear — to put up with

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