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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.

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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 · bound · rock · scale · pitch · last · racket · wound

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. scale — size or range
  3. last — finally
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wound — an injury
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. spring — of water
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. last — to go on
  11. bound — tied together
  12. last — final
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — certain
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pitch — completely
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rock — music
  20. spring — the season
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. racket — a loud noise

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