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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. club — for golf
  4. rest — what's left
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pound — a weight
  7. sharp — clever
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. club — a group
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rest — what's left
  14. band — a music group
  15. spring — of water
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. band — a ring
  19. prune — to trim
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rest — a break

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