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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. foot — a measure
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mug — a face
  15. tube — a container
  16. pound — a weight
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mug — a cup
  21. shower — rain
  22. mug — to rob
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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