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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. sharp — clever
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — a weight
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rock — a stone
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. net — in sport
  14. band — a ring
  15. net — for catching
  16. band — a music group
  17. rock — music
  18. shower — rain
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. net — after costs

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