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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. kid — child
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stock — goods
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stock — shares
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. lie — to recline

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