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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: band · bound · suit · spring · can · cell · fall · chip

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. suit — clothes
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bound — certain
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. fall — the season
  9. chip — for betting
  10. fall — to drop
  11. band — a ring
  12. suit — in cards
  13. can — a tin
  14. bound — obliged
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. band — a music group
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bound — tied together
  20. spring — of water
  21. cell — in biology
  22. suit — to fit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spring — the season

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