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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rash — a series
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bank — for money
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stock — goods
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stock — shares
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bank — for money
  24. stock — a soup base

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