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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: land · stick · fall · trunk · can · hand · pound · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. land — to come down
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. can — to be able to
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. land — ground
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fall — the season
  23. hand — help
  24. land — a country

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