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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: wave · spell · game · prune · bore · bound · lie · kick

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spell — letters
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. spell — magic
  15. game — a match
  16. bound — certain
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bore — to drill
  19. kick — in football
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bound — tied together
  24. spell — a short time

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