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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: bound · press · rash · pound · net · cell · bear · ground

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bound — tied together
  3. net — for catching
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cell — a phone
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. press — to push
  12. bound — certain
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pound — a weight
  16. ground — the earth
  17. press — newspapers
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. press — a publisher
  21. ground — a position
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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