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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cell — a phone
  5. staff — a stick
  6. field — farmland
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. field — a subject
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cell — in biology
  18. field — for sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. plane — a tool
  21. staff — employees
  22. bear — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — in geometry

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