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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  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. spell — magic
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cap — of ice
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. spell — letters
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lean — thin
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stand — to bear
  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