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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 124 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. plane — a tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. race — humankind
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. race — a contest
  20. can — a tin
  21. mine — for digging
  22. toast — bread
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fan — to cool the air

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