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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. march — the month
  3. bore — to drill
  4. march — music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. band — a ring
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pop — music
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pop — to visit
  16. march — the month
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pop — soda
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. prune — the fruit

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