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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: spring · bound · ruler · kick · bowl · wave · cell · pitcher

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cell — in biology
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bound — obliged
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bound — certain
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. kick — in football
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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