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

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. kid — child
  3. land — to come down
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. land — a country
  9. foot — a measure
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. land — ground
  14. wind — moving air
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bulb — for light
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. kid — to tease
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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