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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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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: pound · leaves · cold · hand · bear · stick · last · deal

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. last — to go on
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. hand — in cards
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. deal — to handle
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. hand — help
  24. pound — for dogs

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