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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. staff — employees
  3. pound — a weight
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. current — happening now
  7. field — a subject
  8. club — a group
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. field — farmland
  11. spell — a short time
  12. field — for sport
  13. current — electric
  14. snap — to click
  15. current — of water
  16. tube — a container
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. staff — employees
  19. tube — the underground
  20. club — for golf
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. staff — a stick
  24. club — for dancing

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