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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. staff — employees
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bass — low music
  9. spell — letters
  10. bass — the fish
  11. spell — magic
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pound — a weight
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. staff — employees
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. spell — a short time

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