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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bark — to shout
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pop — soda
  6. last — final
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. track — a path
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pop — to visit
  15. drill — a practice
  16. last — finally
  17. track — to keep track
  18. last — to go on
  19. tear — to rip
  20. drill — army training
  21. track — a song
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. leaves — to go away

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