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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pound — a weight
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. charge — a price
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mine — for digging
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. sharp — clever
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bulb — for light
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. snap — to click
  20. fall — the season
  21. charge — in control
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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