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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. root — of a word
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pound — a weight
  13. root — the cause
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. land — ground
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bear — the animal
  24. scale — in music

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