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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. land — to come down
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pound — a weight
  6. prune — to trim
  7. suit — to fit
  8. land — ground
  9. bat — the animal
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. land — a country
  14. season — of the year
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. season — in sport
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spring — the season
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. coach — a trainer

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