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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 · bound · cap · foot · straw · scale · bore · lash

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bound — certain
  3. cap — a hat
  4. scale — in music
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bound — obliged
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bore — to tire
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spring — of water
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bound — tied together
  22. scale — size or range
  23. spring — the season
  24. cap — of ice

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