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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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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: spell · land · mug · ground · ball · bark · pound · fan

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. land — to come down
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. spell — letters
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mug — a cup
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ground — a position
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pound — a weight
  23. spell — magic
  24. fan — a supporter

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