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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 · file · land · pound · fine · leaves · bound · wax

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bound — obliged
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. file — a document
  8. bound — certain
  9. wax — to grow
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. file — a tool
  12. fine — all right
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bound — tied together
  17. land — a country
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. land — to come down

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