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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bank — for money
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pound — a weight
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bank — for money
  14. kid — to tease
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bank — of a river
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. kid — child
  24. key — in music

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