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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. march — the month
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pop — music
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. snap — to click
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pound — a weight
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. dip — a sauce

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