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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 120 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: bound · pound · sharp · cap · plane · mine · row · hide

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mine — for digging
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. plane — a tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cap — of ice
  18. row — to paddle
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bound — certain
  23. cap — a hat
  24. hide — animal skin

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