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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: bat · fork · land · mark · spell · pound · saw · bound

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. land — to come down
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. spell — magic
  10. fork — in a road
  11. spell — letters
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bound — obliged
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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