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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bulb — for light
  14. field — a subject
  15. bass — low music
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. field — for sport
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bear — the animal
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — farmland

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