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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bulb — for light
  3. staff — employees
  4. drill — a practice
  5. spell — a short time
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. drill — the tool
  10. field — a subject
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. drill — army training
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. spell — letters
  16. staff — a stick
  17. spell — magic
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. field — for sport
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bulb — for light
  22. deal — to handle
  23. field — farmland
  24. bulb — of a plant

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