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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: pound · board · dip · snap · march · spell · face · stem

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. board — a committee
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. snap — to click
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. face — to confront
  9. spell — letters
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. march — music
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pound — a weight
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stem — to come from
  19. dip — to sink
  20. march — the month
  21. face — part of the head
  22. board — to get on
  23. march — the month
  24. board — a flat piece

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