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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 · firm · can · field · spring · season · pop · arm

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pop — soda
  3. field — a subject
  4. bound — tied together
  5. field — farmland
  6. firm — decided
  7. bound — certain
  8. can — to be able to
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — a company
  11. bound — obliged
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — of the year
  14. pop — to visit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. spring — of water
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pop — music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. field — for sport
  21. spring — a coil
  22. can — a tin
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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