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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: spell · lean · temple · court · spring · date · charge · bound

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. court — for sport
  3. lean — thin
  4. spring — of water
  5. bound — certain
  6. spring — the season
  7. spell — magic
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lean — to bend
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. date — the fruit
  13. charge — electricity
  14. court — of a king
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bound — tied together
  18. charge — in control
  19. court — of law
  20. spell — letters
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bound — obliged
  23. spring — a coil
  24. charge — a price

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