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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: rash · tear · fall · row · degree · pound · wind · can

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. degree — temperature
  3. tear — from crying
  4. degree — from a university
  5. row — a line
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rash — hasty
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pound — a weight
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rash — a series
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. degree — an amount
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — the season
  22. can — a tin
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wind — moving air

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