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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mug — a face
  4. saw — the tool
  5. root — of a word
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bear — the animal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. root — of a plant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mug — a cup
  18. land — to come down
  19. root — the cause
  20. land — ground
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. land — a country
  24. mug — to rob

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