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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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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: cap · march · coach · fork · bear · pound · cold · bound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bear — the animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pound — a weight
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. march — the month
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. march — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cold — an illness

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