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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 120 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cell — in biology
  5. game — a match
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cell — a phone
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. dip — to sink
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — a container
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. game — wild animals
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — 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