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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. perch — the fish
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. tear — to rip
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bank — for money
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bank — for money
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. fine — a penalty

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