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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wound — an injury
  5. root — of a plant
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bank — for money
  8. wound — an injury
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stand — to bear
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bank — for money
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. craft — boats
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pound — a weight
  18. root — the cause
  19. craft — a skill
  20. scale — in music
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. root — of a word
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pound — for dogs

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