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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fall — the season
  13. pound — a weight
  14. spring — the season
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bound — certain
  18. bark — a dog's sound

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