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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pound — a weight
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — for sport
  5. board — to get on
  6. field — farmland
  7. hand — in cards
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — help
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. tube — a container
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. field — a subject
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. tube — the underground
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bowl — to roll

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