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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 · row · field · kick · fall · pitcher · board · spring

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — in football
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — a subject
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bound — certain
  8. spring — the season
  9. board — to get on
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bound — tied together
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. field — farmland
  14. row — a line
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. board — a committee
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — of water
  20. fall — the season
  21. field — for sport
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. board — a flat piece

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