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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 120 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: spell · bowl · shower · object · field · mate · stick · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. field — farmland
  3. mate — a friend
  4. spell — magic
  5. bound — obliged
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spell — letters
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bound — certain
  12. spell — a short time
  13. object — an aim
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. shower — rain
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. field — for sport
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. field — a subject
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. object — to protest
  23. shower — to wash
  24. object — a thing

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