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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bass — low music
  3. row — a line
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. tube — a container
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tube — the underground
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bass — the fish
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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