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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: wound · pop · bound · toast · leaves · pound · fall · chair

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bound — obliged
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. fall — the season
  12. pop — to visit
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fall — to drop
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bound — certain
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pop — music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pop — soda
  24. chair — a leader

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