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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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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: drill · craft · object · firm · roll · capital · bound · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. object — to protest
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bound — certain
  6. craft — boats
  7. object — an aim
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — decided
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bound — obliged
  12. drill — army training
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bound — tied together
  15. firm — a company
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. capital — money
  19. roll — a list
  20. craft — a skill
  21. object — a thing
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. capital — a city
  24. pound — a weight

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