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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. present — there
  5. land — a country
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pound — a weight
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. kid — child
  10. present — the time now
  11. land — ground
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fall — the season
  14. land — to come down
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. club — for dancing
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. branch — a division
  20. wound — an injury
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wound — an injury
  23. club — a group
  24. present — a gift

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