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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. file — a document
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mug — a face
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mug — to rob
  11. file — a tool
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. mug — a cup
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rash — a series
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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