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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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. key — in music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bound — certain
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — tied together
  15. key — for a lock
  16. fall — the season
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spell — letters

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