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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. land — ground
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bark — to shout
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bark — of a tree

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