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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 116 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 · spring · bore · kid · bear · spell · degree · pass

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bore — to drill
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. spell — magic
  7. spring — of water
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bore — to tire
  11. kid — child
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. spell — letters
  15. bear — the animal
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spring — a coil
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. spring — the season
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bear — the animal

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