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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. stem — to come from
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rush — hurry
  8. march — the month
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. march — music
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. swing — to play on
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. march — the month
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bore — to tire
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. swing — music
  24. bore — to drill

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