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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: can · spring · drill · cap · pop · board · arm · bound

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pop — music
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bound — certain
  6. can — a tin
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. drill — army training
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. spring — a coil
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pop — soda
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pop — to visit
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. spring — of water
  20. cap — a lid
  21. spring — the season
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. can — a tin
  24. board — a flat piece

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