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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: dip · date · ground · field · stick · pound · staff · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. staff — employees
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. field — farmland
  6. ground — a position
  7. staff — a stick
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. field — a subject
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. field — for sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. staff — employees
  17. ground — the earth
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. date — the fruit

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