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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: squash · bowl · mark · bear · pound · clip · bore · present

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. present — a gift
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. present — there
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bore — to tire
  11. squash — to crush
  12. clip — a video
  13. squash — the sport
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. present — the time now
  24. mark — a grade

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