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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · wave · bear · toast · hide · land · content · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. land — a country
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — help
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. content — the amount
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. content — happy
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. toast — bread
  24. hide — to keep secret

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