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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 · date · wave · chest · tear · firm

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. firm — steady
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chest — a box
  6. date — the fruit
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. chest — of your body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. firm — decided
  13. tear — from crying
  14. firm — a company
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wave — with your hand

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