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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bore — to tire
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. press — a publisher
  12. foot — a measure
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bore — to drill
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. band — a music group
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. press — to push
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. perch — the fish
  24. band — a ring

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