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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. season — of the year
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. file — a tool
  6. tear — to rip
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. kick — in football
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. game — a match
  20. bound — certain
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. file — a document
  24. bound — tied together

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