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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: file · ground · mark · bank · toast · wound · leaves · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. ground — a position
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. toast — bread
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bank — for money
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. ground — the earth
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mark — a trace
  18. file — a document
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pound — a weight
  23. file — a tool
  24. bank — for money

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