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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 124 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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. root — of a plant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. root — the cause
  15. ground — a position
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. root — of a word
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. bear — the animal

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