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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 120 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: bowl · ground · pass · pound · kid · tear

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pass — a permit
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. ground — crushed
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. ground — a position
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. ground — the earth
  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