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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 116 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. tube — the underground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. club — a group
  6. net — after costs
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. pound — a weight
  12. net — for catching
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. club — for golf
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. club — for dancing
  21. net — in sport
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. tear — from crying

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