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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pound — a weight
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. can — a tin
  12. squash — to crush
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. squash — the sport
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. can — a tin
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. kid — child
  22. can — to be able to
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. kid — to tease

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