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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pop — music
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rock — music
  11. row — a line
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. prune — to trim
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pound — a weight
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pop — soda
  24. rock — a stone

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