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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. kid — child
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. bark — to shout
  10. chip — to eat
  11. prune — to trim
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. current — electric
  15. dip — to sink
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. chip — for betting

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