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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mate — to breed
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mate — a partner
  7. row — a line
  8. stem — to come from
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. season — in sport
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. season — of the year
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pound — a weight
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. club — a group
  21. saw — the tool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mate — a friend

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