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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: game · sharp · pound · roll · stem · rock · lie · chest

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pound — a weight
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chest — of your body
  10. game — wild animals
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. chest — of your body
  15. roll — a cake
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. sharp — clever
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chest — a box
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rock — music
  24. stem — of a plant

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