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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pound — a weight
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. race — a contest
  7. tube — a container
  8. object — to protest
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. object — a thing
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. object — an aim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. tube — the underground
  19. race — the arms race
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. race — humankind
  23. stem — to come from
  24. prune — to trim

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