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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · pop · hide · saw · spring · pound · wake · rest

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pop — soda
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rest — a break
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mine — for digging
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pop — music
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pop — to visit
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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