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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: pop · bound · spring · sharp · dip · mug · land · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mug — a face
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. pop — soda
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bound — tied together
  9. sharp — clever
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — a coil
  12. can — a tin
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to sink
  15. land — a country
  16. bound — certain
  17. mug — a cup
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. pop — to visit
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pop — music
  24. bound — obliged

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