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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: fork · stick · chest · plane · bear · kid · root · pound

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pound — a weight
  3. kid — child
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. fork — in a road
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. root — the cause
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. plane — a tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. root — of a word
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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