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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. land — a country
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. land — ground
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. track — to keep track
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. land — to come down
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. prune — to trim
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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