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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: row · press · rest · ball · lie · bound · spring · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rest — a break
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rest — what's left
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. press — to push
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spring — of water
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bound — tied together
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bound — certain
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. row — a line
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bowl — a football final

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