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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: roll · bass · mate · pound · lean · tear · cold · cap

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pound — a weight
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bass — low music
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lean — thin
  19. mate — a partner
  20. tear — from crying
  21. roll — a list
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cap — a hat
  24. roll — a cake

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