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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: pound · can · bear · degree · jam · cabinet · dip · ground

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pound — a weight
  6. ground — crushed
  7. can — a tin
  8. degree — an amount
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. degree — from a university
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. degree — temperature
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ground — a position
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bear — the animal
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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