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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: stand · toast · land · tear · pound · craft · spell · present

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pound — a weight
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. spell — letters
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. present — a gift
  9. tear — from crying
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. present — there
  12. spell — magic
  13. tear — to rip
  14. toast — bread
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. present — the time now
  19. land — a country
  20. stand — to bear
  21. land — to come down
  22. craft — boats
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. craft — a skill

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