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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. squash — the sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. spell — letters
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. spell — a short time
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. clip — to cut
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. patient — a sick person

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