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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: mouse · pound · chair · drill · field · prune · bear · mark

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. field — farmland
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bear — the animal
  7. field — for sport
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. chair — a leader
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. field — a subject
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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