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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fork — in a road
  3. face — to point toward
  4. land — ground
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. object — a thing
  11. root — of a word
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — to protest
  18. face — to confront
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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