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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fall — the season
  7. track — a path
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. craft — boats
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pound — a weight
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ground — a position
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cell — in biology

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