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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: bowl · spring · pound · hand · bay · ground · mug · wake

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. spring — of water
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mug — a face
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. ground — the earth
  13. spring — the season
  14. ground — a position
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. hand — help
  19. mug — to rob
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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