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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: cell · bore · foot · pop · pound · face · branch · rock

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pop — to visit
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. cell — in biology
  12. face — to confront
  13. pop — soda
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. face — part of the head
  17. branch — a division
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. rock — a stone

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