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

Word bank: last · bear · rest · pound · present · snap

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rest — what's left
  4. present — the time now
  5. last — to go on
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. present — a gift
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. last — finally
  14. rest — a break
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rest — what's left

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