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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. content — happy
  8. tear — from crying
  9. land — ground
  10. lean — thin
  11. cue — a signal
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. content — the amount
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pound — a weight
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. tear — from crying

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