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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 120 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bound — tied together
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bark — to shout
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — all right
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bound — certain
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fine — high quality
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — obliged
  22. hand — help
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. dip — a sauce

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