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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. suit — clothes
  7. field — a subject
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. suit — to fit
  11. stock — shares
  12. pound — a weight
  13. scale — in music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. field — farmland
  16. wound — an injury
  17. suit — in cards
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stock — goods
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wound — an injury
  23. field — for sport
  24. scale — size or range

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