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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. net — for catching
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bank — for money
  11. net — in sport
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. field — a subject
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bark — to shout
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. field — for sport
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. field — farmland
  23. bank — for money
  24. bark — of a tree

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