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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. land — ground
  4. pound — a weight
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. deal — to handle
  7. tube — a container
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. tube — the underground
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bark — to shout
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. land — a country
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. row — a line
  24. leaves — of a tree

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