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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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Word bank
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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: current · tear · pound · bowl · chest · season

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. season — in sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. current — of water
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pound — a weight
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. current — happening now
  12. season — of the year
  13. chest — a box
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. current — electric
  17. bowl — a dish
  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