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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. staff — employees
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. staff — a stick
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. lean — to bend
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. hand — in cards
  11. present — the time now
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. hand — help
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — farmland
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. toast — bread
  20. present — a gift
  21. lean — thin
  22. present — there
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pound — for dogs

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