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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: mark · spring · cabinet · court · bound · pound · squash · foot

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spring — the season
  6. court — for sport
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bound — obliged
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. bound — tied together
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bound — certain
  21. spring — of water
  22. squash — to crush
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — the bottom

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