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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 ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. branch — a division
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. land — to come down
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. scale — in music
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bear — the animal
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mark — to pay attention

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