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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: spring · snap · pound · bass · field · can · lash · bound

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. snap — to click
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. bound — certain
  8. spring — a coil
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. field — farmland
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. bass — low music
  14. spring — of water
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. can — to be able to
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bass — the fish
  22. spring — the season
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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