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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. object — a thing
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tear — to rip
  7. land — to come down
  8. tear — from crying
  9. object — an aim
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bass — low music
  13. hand — in cards
  14. object — to protest
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. land — ground
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. hand — help
  23. land — a country
  24. pound — to hit hard

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