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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pound — a weight
  3. present — the time now
  4. root — of a word
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mug — a cup
  8. root — of a plant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mug — a face
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. row — to paddle
  19. present — a gift
  20. row — a line
  21. shower — rain
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. root — the cause

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