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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — a country
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pop — soda
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cue — a hint
  9. tear — from crying
  10. present — there
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pound — a weight
  13. land — ground
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. tear — to rip
  19. land — to come down
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pop — music

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