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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: sharp · fan · bound · pound · hide · row · date · can

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. row — to paddle
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bound — tied together
  16. can — a tin
  17. pound — a weight
  18. sharp — clever
  19. row — a line
  20. bound — certain
  21. can — a tin
  22. bound — obliged
  23. can — to be able to
  24. sharp — with an edge

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