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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — in sport
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fall — the season
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pound — a weight
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fall — to drop
  24. net — after costs

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