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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 124 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 · bay · prune · bore · mark · snap · season · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bore — to drill
  6. season — of the year
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. season — in sport
  13. bore — to tire
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bound — certain
  23. ground — a position
  24. snap — to click

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