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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · mine · bear · cold · net · pound · bass · present

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. net — in sport
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pop — soda
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. pop — music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. present — the time now
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bass — low music
  24. mine — belonging to me

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