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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. spring — the season
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bound — tied together
  13. spring — of water
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rush — a thrill

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