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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. lie — to recline
  19. capital — money
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — clever
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mine — for digging

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