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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 · tear · staff · bear · season · fall

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pound — a weight
  3. season — in sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. staff — employees
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fall — the season
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. tear — from crying
  18. season — to add flavour

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