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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. drill — a practice
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — music
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pound — a weight
  8. march — the month
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. drill — army training
  12. wax — to grow
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mark — a trace
  18. drill — the tool
  19. march — the month
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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