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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: bulb · pitcher · pound · wound · tear · bear · leaves · foot

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pound — a weight
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wound — an injury
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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