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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: lie · tear · pound · chair · craft · mine

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. tear — to rip
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. chair — a leader
  14. craft — a skill
  15. tear — from crying
  16. craft — boats
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pound — for dogs

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