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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 120 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: firm · land · fan · bear · saw · drill · arm · pound

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. firm — decided
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. firm — steady
  9. bear — the animal
  10. land — to come down
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. drill — the tool
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. drill — army training
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. firm — a company
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. saw — the tool
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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