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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pound — a weight
  3. field — for sport
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wind — moving air
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bound — tied together
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bound — certain
  20. field — farmland
  21. deal — to handle
  22. field — a subject
  23. scale — in music
  24. bound — obliged

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