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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 · bound · mine · rash · dip · perch · band

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. band — a rubber band
  3. cue — for pool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. spring — of water
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rash — a series
  15. dip — to sink
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. band — a ring
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cue — a hint
  22. band — a music group
  23. bound — certain
  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