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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. plane — a tool
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. rock — music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. field — a subject
  8. pound — a weight
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wind — moving air
  12. field — farmland
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. field — for sport
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cell — in a prison

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