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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 · chest · bore · dip · prune · saw · bound · fine

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chest — a box
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bound — obliged
  9. spring — the season
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bore — gave birth

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