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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
468
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 · spell · cold · stick · spring · hand · bore · rest

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bore — to tire
  5. spring — of water
  6. cold — not warm
  7. spring — the season
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. hand — in cards
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hand — help
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rest — a break
  16. spell — letters
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cold — an illness
  21. spell — magic
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bore — to drill

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