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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: chip · fan · pop · spring · bore · capital · bound · roll

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. capital — money
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pop — soda
  6. chip — to eat
  7. spring — the season
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bound — certain
  10. spring — of water
  11. bore — to tire
  12. roll — a cake
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. roll — a list
  15. bound — obliged
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. capital — a city
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bore — to drill
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pop — music
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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