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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pop — soda
  4. field — farmland
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rash — a series
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rash — hasty
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pop — music
  19. field — for sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. row — a line
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. field — a subject
  24. rush — hurry

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