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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 116 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: spring · tube · snap · dip · wound · rest · pound · ground

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. spring — the season
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. wound — an injury
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pound — a weight
  15. ground — a position
  16. rest — a break
  17. spring — of water
  18. tube — a container
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wound — an injury
  22. snap — to click
  23. spring — a coil
  24. dip — to dunk

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