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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 · staff · pound · pass · bound · cell · squash · season

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pass — a permit
  5. spring — the season
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. staff — a stick
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. season — in sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bound — tied together
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — certain
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spring — of water
  19. season — of the year
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. staff — employees
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pass — to spend time

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