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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: pound · kid · swing · tear · rest · safe

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rest — what's left
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. tear — from crying
  9. swing — in golf
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kid — to tease
  12. swing — music
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. swing — to play on
  17. tear — to rip
  18. kid — child

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