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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. lean — to bend
  6. tear — from crying
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. net — after costs
  9. season — of the year
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lean — thin
  18. net — in sport
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. scale — size or range
  21. net — for catching
  22. scale — in music
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pass — a permit

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