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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · spell · wave · nail · bear · spring · degree · rash

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bound — tied together
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. spring — of water
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. spell — letters
  14. rash — a series
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bound — obliged
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. rash — hasty
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bound — certain
  24. spell — magic

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