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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: kick · bulb · march · spring · bound · dip · spell · cell

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — the season
  6. bulb — for light
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bound — obliged
  9. dip — to sink
  10. spring — of water
  11. kick — in football
  12. spell — letters
  13. cell — in biology
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. march — the month
  16. spell — magic
  17. march — music
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. spell — a short time
  20. march — the month
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bound — certain
  23. spring — a coil
  24. kick — with a leg

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