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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. lean — to bend
  3. branch — a division
  4. date — the fruit
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rock — a stone
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pound — a weight
  13. rock — music
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. shower — rain
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. game — a match
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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