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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: tear · staff · rest · pass · fan · fork · pound · arm

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rest — what's left
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fork — in a road
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. staff — employees
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pass — a permit

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