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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. saw — the tool
  3. club — for golf
  4. spring — a coil
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bass — low music
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. club — a group
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. spring — of water
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fine — all right
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. spring — the season
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fine — high quality
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pound — to hit hard

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