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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. shower — rain
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fine — all right
  23. bore — to drill
  24. stem — of a plant

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