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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. content — the amount
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. season — in sport
  7. deal — to handle
  8. content — happy
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. net — in sport
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rush — hurry
  15. net — for catching
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. net — after costs
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stem — to come from

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