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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
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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: pound · pop · spring · rest · shower · mug · mate · leaves

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mug — a cup
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. spring — the season
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mug — a face
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mate — a friend
  18. shower — rain
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pop — music
  22. mate — to breed
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pound — to hit hard

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