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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. hand — in cards
  8. field — a subject
  9. bark — to shout
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. field — farmland
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. field — for sport
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. march — the month

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