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

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. club — for dancing
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pound — a weight
  14. key — the most important part
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. club — a group
  18. key — in music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. tear — from crying
  22. club — for golf
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pound — to hit hard

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