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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: club · bear · fan · racket · land · face · hand · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. land — ground
  11. club — a group
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. land — to come down
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. face — to confront
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hand — help
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. land — a country
  24. racket — for tennis

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