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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. race — humankind
  7. spell — a short time
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mine — for digging
  13. swing — music
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. spell — letters
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. race — a contest
  22. stem — to come from
  23. spell — magic
  24. pound — for dogs

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