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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: pound · cap · bulb · file · mate · bound · toast · firm

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. firm — decided
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cap — a lid
  13. file — a tool
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bound — certain
  17. firm — steady
  18. toast — bread
  19. firm — a company
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bound — obliged
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. file — a document

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