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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. saw — the tool
  3. field — farmland
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. snap — to click
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. field — a subject
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. game — a match
  17. saw — the tool
  18. branch — a division
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. field — for sport

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