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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. land — ground
  3. object — to protest
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. object — a thing
  8. deal — to handle
  9. field — for sport
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. field — a subject
  12. pound — a weight
  13. spell — letters
  14. craft — a skill
  15. land — to come down
  16. spell — magic
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. field — farmland
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. land — a country
  23. object — an aim
  24. spell — a short time

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