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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. tear — from crying
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bass — low music
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. patient — a sick person

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