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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: fork · pound · foot · bound · ground · lean · mine · fan

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bound — tied together
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. foot — a measure
  16. lean — thin
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ground — a position
  21. bound — certain
  22. lean — to bend
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. fan — a supporter

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