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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 120 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: ground · snap · pound · spring · foot · wax · bound · bat

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bound — certain
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bound — obliged
  9. spring — the season
  10. pound — a weight
  11. snap — to click
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wax — to grow
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bat — the animal
  16. foot — a measure
  17. spring — of water
  18. ground — a position
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bound — tied together
  23. ground — the earth
  24. foot — part of the body

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