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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. saw — the tool
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mine — for digging
  5. present — a gift
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. present — the time now
  9. mug — a cup
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. mug — a face
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. saw — the tool
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. degree — an amount
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. degree — temperature
  22. present — there
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mug — to rob

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