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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 124 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pound — a weight
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rash — hasty
  6. deal — to handle
  7. roll — a cake
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — a series
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. roll — a list
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. branch — a division
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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