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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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. capital — money
  2. fall — to drop
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fall — the season
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pound — a weight
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. capital — a city
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. prune — to trim
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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