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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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Word bank
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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: court · saw · staff · pound · bear · fan · wake · drill

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. court — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. staff — employees
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. staff — employees
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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