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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bound — certain
  5. cold — an illness
  6. object — an aim
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. saw — the tool
  12. object — to protest
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. object — a thing
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. craft — boats
  19. saw — the tool
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pound — to hit hard

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