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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. track — a song
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rest — what's left
  5. craft — boats
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rest — a break
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bear — the animal
  12. track — a path
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. clip — to cut
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. clip — a video
  24. spring — of water

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