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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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Word bank
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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: date · dip · snap · pop · pound · temple · bore · spring

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pop — soda
  5. dip — to sink
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pop — to visit
  9. spring — a coil
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. spring — of water
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pop — music
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pound — a weight
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bore — to tire
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bore — to drill
  22. snap — to click
  23. spring — the season
  24. temple — a place of worship

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