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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. foot — a measure
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lean — to bend
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. lean — thin
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. club — a group
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. board — a committee
  18. wind — moving air
  19. board — to get on
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. club — for golf
  23. roll — a list
  24. pound — a weight

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