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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. object — to protest
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pop — music
  7. craft — a skill
  8. object — an aim
  9. pop — soda
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. object — a thing
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. date — the fruit
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bark — to shout
  17. prune — to trim
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pound — a weight

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