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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fall — the season
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bowl — to roll

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