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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bound — tied together
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. file — a document
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. file — a tool
  11. land — to come down
  12. prune — to trim
  13. land — a country
  14. bound — obliged
  15. prune — to trim
  16. plane — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bound — certain
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. ball — a great time
  21. land — ground
  22. ball — a dance
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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