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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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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bound — certain
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. bound — tied together
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pop — music
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ground — crushed
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow

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