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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: pound · rock · date · fan · tear · fork · pop · mark

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rock — music
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. rock — a stone
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pop — soda

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