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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: bound · rest · stand · key · spring · pop · toast · wake

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pop — to visit
  4. toast — bread
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bound — certain
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pop — music
  15. stand — to bear
  16. key — in music
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wake — a trail
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rest — a break
  24. toast — the most admired

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