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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. tube — a container
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stand — to bear
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chest — a box
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pound — a weight
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fan — to cool the air

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