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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: bulb · fine · tear · lash · pound · bear · file · court

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. fine — all right
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. tear — from crying
  7. file — a tool
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. court — of law
  10. bear — the animal
  11. court — of a king
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bulb — for light
  18. court — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bear — to put up with

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