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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. row — to paddle
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. row — a line
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fork — in a road
  15. tear — to rip
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stand — to bear
  24. tear — from crying

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