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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: pitcher · bear · rock · pound · wound · staff · tear · safe

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — from crying
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rock — music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. staff — employees
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bear — the animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tear — to rip
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. safe — out of danger

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