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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: saw · bulb · bat · spring · bound · chip · pound · land

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bound — obliged
  4. spring — of water
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bulb — for light
  7. land — ground
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — a country
  10. spring — a coil
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. land — to come down
  13. bat — the animal
  14. spring — the season
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bound — certain
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pound — for dogs

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