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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. staff — a stick
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. saw — the tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pound — a weight
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. race — humankind
  18. staff — employees
  19. race — a contest
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. race — the arms race
  24. plane — a tool

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