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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: game · saw · bound · cap · chest · bulb · pound · stock

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stock — shares
  9. chest — a box
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. bound — tied together
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stock — goods
  17. bound — obliged
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chest — of your body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bound — certain
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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