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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 116 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: mine · mark · staff · bowl · spring · wound · pound · bound

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. spring — the season
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bound — certain
  11. mark — a trace
  12. staff — employees
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wound — an injury
  15. staff — employees
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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