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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: wind · bound · field · shower · arm · rock · rest · spell

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. shower — rain
  3. spell — magic
  4. rest — a break
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — for sport
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. field — farmland
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. shower — to wash
  19. field — a subject
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spell — letters

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