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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bound — certain
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spring — of water
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. spring — the season
  24. wax — for sculpting

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