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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. clip — a video
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. track — to keep track
  14. tear — from crying
  15. track — a path
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. track — a song
  18. branch — a division
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. branch — of a bank

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