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

Word bank: fall · stock · wave · tear · pound · kid

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fall — to drop
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stock — shares
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. stock — goods
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. fall — the season
  14. kid — child
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. fall — to drop
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip

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