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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spell · court · fall · land · pop · press · craft

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. spell — letters
  3. pop — soda
  4. spell — a short time
  5. land — ground
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. court — for sport
  8. press — to push
  9. craft — a skill
  10. court — of a king
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. court — of law
  14. pop — to visit
  15. craft — boats
  16. fall — the season
  17. land — a country
  18. bound — certain
  19. press — a publisher
  20. spell — magic
  21. bound — obliged
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pop — music
  24. bound — tied together

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