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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. field — farmland
  4. band — a music group
  5. field — for sport
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. field — a subject
  8. bound — obliged
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. staff — employees
  11. pound — a weight
  12. spring — a coil
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. staff — employees
  15. spring — of water
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. spring — the season
  18. band — a ring
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bound — certain
  24. deal — to handle

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