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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. field — for sport
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. field — farmland
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. clip — for paper
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. degree — an amount
  18. field — a subject
  19. clip — a video
  20. degree — temperature
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pound — a weight
  23. degree — from a university
  24. safe — a strongbox

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