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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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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: mark · mine · kick · roll · pound · bound · wind · land

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bound — certain
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. kick — in football
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wind — moving air
  10. land — ground
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mark — a grade
  21. land — a country
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. land — to come down
  24. mine — for digging

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