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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. field — for sport
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bank — for money
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. dip — to sink
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. field — farmland
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. field — a subject
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bound — certain
  23. bank — for money
  24. dip — a sauce

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