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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 124 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. tear — from crying
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tear — from crying
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mate — a friend
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pound — a weight
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mate — a partner

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