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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. 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. bound — obliged
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. season — of the year
  5. pop — music
  6. season — in sport
  7. fall — the season
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pound — a weight
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bound — certain
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pop — soda
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fall — to drop
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. 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