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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rest — a break
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. drill — army training
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bear — the animal
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bear — the animal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bear — to put up with

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