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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 · spring · temple · dip · tube · pitcher · fall · season

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. dip — to sink
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fall — the season
  6. tube — the underground
  7. season — in sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. spring — of water
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. tube — a container
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. season — of the year
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bound — certain
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spring — the season
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bound — tied together

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