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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: field · pound · bound · lean · roll · bat · mug · chip

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mug — to rob
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. field — a subject
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bound — certain
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bat — the animal
  16. roll — a list
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lean — thin
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mug — a face
  24. bat — for baseball

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