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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — a weight
  3. snap — to click
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pop — to visit
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rush — hurry
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. perch — the fish
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cell — in biology

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