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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. drill — army training
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cap — of ice
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bore — to drill
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cap — a lid
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. fall — the season
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. fall — to drop

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