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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. land — ground
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. sharp — clever
  9. branch — a division
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bulb — for light
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mate — a partner
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. land — a country
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pound — a weight
  24. land — to come down

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