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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · content · trunk · ground · scale · pound · drill · pop

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pop — to visit
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. drill — a practice
  6. scale — size or range
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pop — soda
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. drill — the tool
  11. content — happy
  12. drill — army training
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pop — music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ground — a position
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. pound — a weight
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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