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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. pound — a weight
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. field — a subject
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. tear — to rip
  12. field — farmland
  13. pop — soda
  14. bulb — for light
  15. field — for sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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