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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. row — to paddle
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. press — to push
  19. row — a line
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pound — a weight
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pound — for dogs

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