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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 116 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. tear — to rip
  15. row — to paddle
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mark — a grade
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pound — a weight
  24. fall — the season

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