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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: rule · bound · pound · bay · spring · bear · prune · field

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. pound — a weight
  3. field — a subject
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. spring — of water
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spring — the season
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rule — government
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bound — tied together
  20. field — farmland
  21. bound — certain
  22. field — for sport
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rule — a law

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