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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: bear · net · pound · lean · bulb · field · bore · wake

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. field — a subject
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. field — farmland
  8. net — for catching
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. lean — thin

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