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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: rock · chip · bound · spring · wind · nail · spell · bass

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spring — of water
  3. chip — for betting
  4. spring — the season
  5. bound — certain
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bass — the fish
  8. rock — music
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. spell — letters
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. spell — magic
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bound — obliged
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spring — a coil

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