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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 · prune · bound · file · board · chip · spring · bore

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bore — to drill
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bound — obliged
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spring — a coil
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. file — a tool
  12. chip — to eat
  13. board — a committee
  14. file — a document
  15. spring — the season
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. board — to get on
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. band — a music group
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bore — to tire

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