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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: tear · branch · lean · dip · pound · pop · object · cold

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. pop — soda
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. object — an aim
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pound — a weight
  11. object — to protest
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. object — a thing
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  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