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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. net — for catching
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. face — to point toward
  13. net — in sport
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. face — to confront
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a tool
  21. lean — to bend
  22. net — after costs
  23. lean — thin
  24. file — a line of people

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