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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: wake · plane · chest · bound · pop · mug · pound · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pop — soda
  3. wake — a trail
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pop — music
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. mug — a face
  11. bound — certain
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. toast — bread
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bound — obliged
  24. chest — a box

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