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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wind — moving air
  12. squash — to crush
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. hand — in cards
  15. tear — to rip
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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