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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. object — to protest
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stock — shares
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — goods
  14. bark — to shout
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — a thing
  17. pound — a weight
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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