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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: bore · march · stand · pound · hand · fine · tear · cabinet

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pound — a weight
  5. march — the month
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bore — to tire
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fine — high quality
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. hand — help
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. march — music
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pound — to hit hard

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