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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: board · stick · bound · spring · bulb · toast · chair · mug

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chair — a leader
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mug — a face
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. board — to get on
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mug — to rob
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. toast — bread
  17. board — a committee
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bound — certain
  23. spring — the season
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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