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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pound — a weight
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mate — a friend
  9. swing — in golf
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. branch — a division
  15. mate — a partner
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mine — for digging
  20. swing — music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. mine — belonging to me

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