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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wake — a trail
  7. foot — a measure
  8. tube — a container
  9. cold — not warm
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. pound — a weight
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cold — an illness
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. land — a country
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. foot — part of the body

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