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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. spring — the season
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rest — what's left
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. drill — a practice
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. rock — music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bark — of a tree

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