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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: ground · pass · present · stem · craft · chest · row · pound

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. ground — the earth
  5. row — a line
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. present — there
  9. craft — boats
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. chest — a box
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. present — the time now
  18. row — to paddle
  19. craft — a skill
  20. ground — a position
  21. present — a gift
  22. pass — a permit
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pound — a weight

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