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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: ball · band · pass · kid · spring · spell · wound · bore

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bore — to drill
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. spell — letters
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spell — magic
  14. kid — child
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. ball — a dance
  18. spell — a short time
  19. band — a ring
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. spring — of water
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bore — to tire

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