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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: spring · wave · bound · plane · spell · clip · ball · deal

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bound — certain
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bound — obliged
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spell — a short time
  12. plane — a tool
  13. ball — a great time
  14. clip — to cut
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. clip — a video
  17. spell — magic
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. spring — of water
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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