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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. row — a line
  11. land — to come down
  12. plane — a tool
  13. land — a country
  14. kick — in football
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. prune — to trim
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. prune — to trim
  24. land — ground

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