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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: dip · lean · land · court · shower · jam · bound · pound

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. court — of law
  9. land — ground
  10. dip — to sink
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. court — of a king
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bound — certain
  16. court — for sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. land — a country
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pound — a weight
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. shower — rain
  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