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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. staff — employees
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mark — a trace
  6. tear — to rip
  7. press — newspapers
  8. clip — a video
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. roll — a list
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. press — to push
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. staff — employees
  15. clip — to cut
  16. staff — a stick
  17. roll — a cake
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. clip — for paper
  21. press — a publisher
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mark — a grade
  24. tear — from crying

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