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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: pound · game · bound · ball · spring · stand · tube · court

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bound — obliged
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. ball — a great time
  6. court — of a king
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bound — certain
  9. spring — of water
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stand — to bear
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. tube — a container
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. spring — the season
  18. tube — the underground
  19. game — a match
  20. pound — a weight
  21. court — for sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. court — of law
  24. stand — for spectators

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