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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. swing — to play on
  4. dip — to sink
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. swing — in golf
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stand — to bear
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. swing — music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wax — to grow
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. game — a match
  22. ground — a position
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. ground — the earth

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