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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 112 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · present · spring · pound · lean · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. spring — a coil
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. pound — a weight
  6. spring — the season
  7. present — the time now
  8. bear — the animal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — thin
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spring — of water

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