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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: bound · squash · jam · key · chair · spell · branch · spring

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. spell — letters
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. spring — of water
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. spell — a short time
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. key — for a lock
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. branch — a division
  14. spring — a coil
  15. squash — to crush
  16. spell — magic
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. key — in music
  19. spring — the season
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. squash — the sport

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