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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wind — moving air
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. shower — rain
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lean — to rest against

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