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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: pound · bound · bulb · ground · lean · game · cell · lash

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. lean — to bend
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. game — a match
  13. lean — thin
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cell — a phone
  18. ground — a position
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bound — tied together
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bound — certain

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