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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — final
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lie — to recline
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lean — thin
  9. last — finally
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. last — to go on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lean — to bend
  15. land — ground
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. calf — of the leg

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