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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: foot · net · clip · fall · rest · pound · object · tear

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. tear — to rip
  3. object — a thing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fall — the season
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. object — to protest
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — a video
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pound — a weight
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. net — after costs
  15. object — an aim
  16. clip — for paper
  17. foot — a measure
  18. net — for catching
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rest — a break
  21. net — in sport
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. clip — to cut

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