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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: mine · board · spell · season · ball · bound · wind · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pound — a weight
  4. ball — a dance
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bound — certain
  12. spell — magic
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bound — tied together
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wind — moving air
  17. season — of the year
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wind — moving air
  21. season — in sport
  22. board — a committee
  23. ball — a great time
  24. board — to get on

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