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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: arm · tear · bank · chest · content · rush · pound · lie

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bank — for money
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. content — the amount
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bank — for money
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rush — hurry
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. content — happy
  20. bank — of a river
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chest — a box
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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