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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: spring · cue · wave · field · mark · bound · season · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. spring — of water
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cue — for pool
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. season — in sport
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bound — tied together
  18. field — a subject
  19. season — of the year
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. cue — a hint
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bound — certain

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