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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pop — soda
  8. rash — hasty
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pop — music
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. spell — magic
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. club — a group
  17. bore — to tire
  18. club — for golf
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rash — a series
  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