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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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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: swing · mate · bound · pop · tear · staff · stand · saw

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pop — soda
  3. swing — in golf
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. swing — music
  7. stand — to bear
  8. staff — employees
  9. tear — from crying
  10. staff — employees
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pop — music
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. tear — to rip
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bound — obliged
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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