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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · file · squash · stem · drill · bear · pound · last

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. file — a document
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. drill — army training
  10. squash — to crush
  11. file — a tool
  12. last — final
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bound — obliged
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. last — finally
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bound — tied together
  22. file — a line of people
  23. last — to go on
  24. bound — certain

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