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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 120 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: object · bark · bound · last · pitch · leaves · pound · spring

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bound — certain
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — a coil
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. spring — the season
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. last — finally
  11. spring — of water
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pitch — completely
  15. object — a thing
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. bound — tied together
  19. object — an aim
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bound — obliged
  24. leaves — lets stay

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