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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · squash · march · mine · spring · fan · nail · rule

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bound — obliged
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mine — for digging
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bound — certain
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — the month
  12. spring — the season
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rule — government
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. rule — a law
  23. spring — of water
  24. squash — to crush

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