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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 120 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. perch — the fish
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pound — a weight
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. tear — from crying
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cap — a hat
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cap — of ice
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. prune — to trim
  19. snap — to click
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. prune — to trim

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