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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: content · dip · wound · tear · rule · pound

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pound — a weight
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rule — a law
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wound — an injury
  9. content — the amount
  10. wound — an injury
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rule — government
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. tear — from crying
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wound — past of 'wind'

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