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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. press — to push
  5. wake — a trail
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. march — the month
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — newspapers
  11. march — the month
  12. pop — to visit
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pop — soda
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pop — music
  22. march — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tear — from crying

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