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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pound — a weight
  9. tube — a container
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lean — thin
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mouse — the animal

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