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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · pound · perch · clip · object · pass

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. 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. object — to protest
  2. pound — a weight
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. object — an aim
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. object — a thing
  18. 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