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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. present — a gift
  2. land — ground
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. current — of water
  7. bear — the animal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. spring — a coil
  10. land — a country
  11. mug — a face
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. present — there
  15. bear — the animal
  16. land — to come down
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. present — the time now
  19. face — to confront
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. face — to point toward
  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