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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: wound · leaves · pound · band · ground · net · fall · saw

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. band — a ring
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. ground — the earth
  5. net — for catching
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ground — crushed
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. fall — the season
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — a weight
  13. net — after costs
  14. ground — a position
  15. net — in sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. band — a music group
  20. fall — to drop
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pound — to hit hard

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