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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. land — ground
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. land — to come down
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rock — a stone
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. capital — a city
  15. fall — to drop
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fall — to drop
  19. land — a country
  20. fall — the season
  21. pound — a weight
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rock — music

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