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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. spell — magic
  3. bass — low music
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. staff — employees
  12. roll — a list
  13. spell — letters
  14. perch — the fish
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bass — the fish
  18. spell — a short time
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pound — a weight
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. date — the fruit
  24. staff — employees

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