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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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 — to hit hard
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kick — in football
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. swing — music
  10. current — of water
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bear — the animal
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bear — the animal
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pound — a weight
  20. current — electric
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. current — happening now
  23. dip — to sink
  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