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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. last — final
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. last — to go on
  10. root — the cause
  11. fall — to drop
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. root — of a word
  14. hand — help
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. last — finally
  19. season — in sport
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. root — of a plant
  22. season — of the year
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. patient — a sick person

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