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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: pound · bound · bulb · scale · fork · row · wound · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pound — a weight
  4. kid — child
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bound — tied together
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wound — an injury
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. row — a line
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bulb — for light
  24. scale — in music

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