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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — a subject
  6. pound — a weight
  7. field — farmland
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bear — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. board — to get on
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cue — for pool
  17. rush — hurry
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. field — for sport
  22. cue — a hint
  23. board — a committee
  24. cue — a signal

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