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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. march — music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bulb — for light
  13. file — a tool
  14. rock — music
  15. file — a document
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pound — a weight
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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