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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. branch — a division
  5. pound — a weight
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pop — soda
  10. craft — boats
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — music
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bark — to shout
  15. ground — crushed
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. craft — a handicraft

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