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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pound — a weight
  3. field — farmland
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mug — to rob
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. spell — magic
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. field — a subject
  13. cell — in biology
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bulb — for light
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mug — a cup
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spell — letters
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mug — a face
  23. spell — a short time
  24. field — for sport

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