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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lean — thin
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. saw — the tool
  10. degree — from a university
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wound — an injury
  15. root — the cause
  16. drill — the tool
  17. degree — temperature
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pound — a weight

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