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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. roll — a list
  4. face — to point toward
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. row — a line
  9. content — the amount
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pop — soda
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — music
  19. face — to confront
  20. roll — a cake
  21. content — happy
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pop — to visit

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