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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pound — a weight
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. board — to get on
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. sharp — clever
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bass — the fish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. plane — a tool
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bear — the animal
  21. board — a committee
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bass — low music
  24. plane — in geometry

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