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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: mine · firm · hide · rest · fan · bowl · spring · bound

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. firm — steady
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. firm — decided
  8. spring — the season
  9. rest — what's left
  10. firm — a company
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bound — obliged
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rest — a break
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bound — certain
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. hide — to keep secret

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