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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 120 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: kid · suit · saw · pound · pop · mine · bore · bound

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bound — certain
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pop — music
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pop — soda
  10. suit — to fit
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bound — tied together
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kid — child
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. suit — clothes
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pop — to visit
  24. suit — in cards

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