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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tear — from crying
  4. net — for catching
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cue — a signal
  7. staff — a stick
  8. cue — for pool
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. tear — to rip
  13. net — after costs
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. staff — employees
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. staff — employees
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. net — in sport
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pound — a weight

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