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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bank — for money
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. season — in sport
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. bank — of a river
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. date — on the calendar

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