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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: fall · ground · wake · bear · pound · chair · roll · rush

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fall — to drop
  8. roll — a list
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chair — a leader
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. ground — the earth
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. ground — a position

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