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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: date · tear · pound · can · bowl · lie · lash · staff

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. tear — from crying
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pound — a weight
  6. tear — to rip
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. can — a tin
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. staff — employees
  15. can — a tin
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. staff — employees
  22. tear — from crying
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bowl — to roll

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