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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. ground — crushed
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pound — a weight
  14. board — to get on
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. board — a committee
  19. ground — a position
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pit — in a race
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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