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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 120 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: band · spell · spring · stick · mouse · prune · chip · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. band — a music group
  15. bound — tied together
  16. band — a ring
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spring — the season
  22. chip — for betting
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spring — of water

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