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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. capital — a city
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pop — music
  13. content — happy
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pop — to visit
  16. shower — to wash
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. capital — money
  20. content — the amount
  21. pop — soda
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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