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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 124 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pop — music
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pop — soda
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — a list
  20. fine — all right
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. roll — on a roll

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