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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: roll · wind · wake · mate · chair · mug · tear · pound

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wake — a trail
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. mug — a face
  13. mate — a friend
  14. chair — a leader
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pound — a weight
  19. roll — a list
  20. mate — a partner
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mate — to breed

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