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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: spring · press · arm · hide · rash · ball · pound · bound

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spring — the season
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pound — a weight
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. press — to push
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. spring — of water
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bound — certain
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rash — a series
  16. press — newspapers
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bound — tied together
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rash — hasty
  22. press — a publisher
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pound — for dogs

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