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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mug — a face
  7. present — the time now
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. present — a gift
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ground — crushed
  13. present — there
  14. ground — the earth
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wave — of the sea

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