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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — the season
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. swing — music
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. current — happening now
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. swing — in golf
  10. current — electric
  11. can — to be able to
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pound — a weight
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. swing — to play on
  18. current — of water
  19. can — a tin
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — to drop
  24. leaves — of a tree

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