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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 116 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: hide · mouse · racket · tear · pound · bound

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bound — certain
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. tear — to rip

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