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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wax — to grow
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. band — a music group
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pop — soda
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pop — music
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. band — a ring
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stem — to come from

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