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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. degree — from a university
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spring — a coil
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — an amount
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. spring — the season
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. mouse — the animal

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