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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. land — to come down
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wound — an injury
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ball — a great time
  9. land — a country
  10. shower — to wash
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. land — ground
  18. wound — an injury
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. sharp — clever
  22. ball — a dance
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pound — a weight

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