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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: chest · tear · can · hide · spring · mark · bound · board

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mark — a trace
  5. can — a tin
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bound — tied together
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spring — of water
  12. can — to be able to
  13. board — to get on
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — the season
  16. chest — a box
  17. board — a committee
  18. tear — from crying
  19. can — a tin
  20. bound — obliged
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tear — to rip
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. chest — of your body

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