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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. field — farmland
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bulb — for light
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bore — to tire

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