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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. board — to get on
  7. net — in sport
  8. row — a line
  9. board — a committee
  10. net — after costs
  11. stem — to come from
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. craft — a skill
  17. pound — a weight
  18. craft — boats
  19. row — to paddle
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. net — for catching
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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