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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cap — a lid
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a great time
  5. branch — a division
  6. cap — of ice
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. file — a tool
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. tear — from crying
  16. firm — steady
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. file — a line of people
  20. ball — a dance
  21. firm — decided
  22. file — a document
  23. tear — to rip
  24. ruler — for measuring

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