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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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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: bear · kid · pound · rule · march · bass · bound · wake

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. march — music
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bear — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bass — the fish
  13. kid — child
  14. bound — certain
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bound — tied together
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — low music

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