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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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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: foot · dip · tear · deal · pound · fall · tube · land

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. tear — to rip
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. fall — the season
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tear — from crying
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. tube — the underground
  18. land — ground
  19. fall — to drop
  20. deal — to handle
  21. foot — a measure
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tear — from crying

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