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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: roll · mark · bound · date · bear · hand · net · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — a cake
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bound — certain
  8. hand — help
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. hand — in cards
  15. spring — of water
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. net — after costs
  21. bound — obliged
  22. date — the fruit
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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