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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: press · bound · wound · bore · spring · rush · stand · kid

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. spring — of water
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bore — to drill
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bore — to tire
  13. kid — child
  14. spring — the season
  15. press — to push
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bound — obliged
  23. press — a publisher
  24. spring — a coil

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