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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · pound · tear · branch · season · rash · fall · staff

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. land — a country
  6. season — of the year
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rash — a series
  11. fall — the season
  12. rash — hasty
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — in sport
  15. land — to come down
  16. fall — to drop
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. staff — employees
  20. branch — a division
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tear — to rip
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. land — ground

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