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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cell — in biology
  4. march — music
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pop — soda
  12. prune — to trim
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stand — to bear
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. pop — music
  21. march — the month
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pound — a weight
  24. march — the month

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