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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: dip · safe · pop · root · bound · spring · pound · bat

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pound — a weight
  7. root — the cause
  8. bat — the animal
  9. root — of a word
  10. bound — certain
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pop — soda
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bound — obliged
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bat — for baseball

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