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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. shower — rain
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. snap — to click
  7. root — of a word
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. file — a line of people
  10. root — of a plant
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. file — a document
  14. shower — to wash
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. file — a tool
  22. root — the cause
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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