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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bear — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pound — a weight
  9. deal — to handle
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bear — the animal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pitcher — a jug

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