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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rush — hurry
  13. field — for sport
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spell — magic
  17. field — a subject
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — decided
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. firm — steady
  23. field — farmland
  24. pound — to hit hard

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