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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. track — a path
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. track — a song
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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