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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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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 · drill · bear · bowl · cap · tear · wind · club

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. tear — from crying
  8. club — for golf
  9. bear — the animal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wind — moving air
  15. club — a group
  16. wind — moving air
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. drill — army training
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bear — the animal

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