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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. pound — a weight
  3. tear — from crying
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. board — a committee
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cell — in biology
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. track — to keep track
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. track — a path
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. track — a song
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  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