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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. firm — decided
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. capital — money
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. firm — steady
  12. tear — from crying
  13. last — to go on
  14. firm — a company
  15. last — finally
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. last — final
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. lie — to recline
  20. capital — a city
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pound — a weight
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wind — moving air

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