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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: tear · bulb · pitcher · stand · coach · bound · pound · fall

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bound — certain
  3. pound — a weight
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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