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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: pop · date · bound · mine · sharp · craft · chest · pound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pop — music
  5. chest — a box
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. date — the fruit
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bound — certain
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pop — soda
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chest — of your body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chest — of your 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