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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: mark · trunk · wind · spring · bulb · club · season · bound

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spring — the season
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. season — of the year
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. spring — of water
  16. bulb — for light
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mark — a trace
  21. club — for golf
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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