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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 116 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: lie · fan · tear · pound · mine · stand · race · mate

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. race — humankind
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stand — to bear
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mine — for digging
  20. tear — to rip
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lie — to recline
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mate — a friend

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