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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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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: wound · board · roll · stand · spring · deal · pop · bound

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. pop — soda
  3. roll — a list
  4. spring — a coil
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pop — music
  8. stand — to bear
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wound — an injury
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. spring — of water
  20. board — to get on
  21. spring — the season
  22. board — a committee
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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