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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bound — tied together
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. rash — a series
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. swing — music
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bound — obliged
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bound — certain

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