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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kid — child
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. spell — a short time
  6. last — finally
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wind — moving air
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. last — final
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. last — to go on
  13. pound — a weight
  14. kid — to tease
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. spell — magic
  18. foot — a measure
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spell — letters
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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