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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cap — a lid
  13. toast — bread
  14. tear — from crying
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cap — of ice
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. tube — a container
  19. snap — to click
  20. lean — to bend
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. lean — thin
  24. nail — on a finger

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