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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — farmland
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pound — a weight
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. current — happening now
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bark — to shout
  15. current — electric
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. field — a subject
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. field — for sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. current — of water
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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