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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: bound · snap · rule · spring · mug · bowl · wound · stick

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bound — certain
  3. rule — a law
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spring — a coil
  10. snap — to click
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. rule — government
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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