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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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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: ground · bear · bound · season · kid · can

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bound — obliged
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bound — certain
  5. can — to be able to
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. ground — crushed
  8. season — in sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. ground — a position
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kid — child

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