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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 · tear · perch · bat · bank · ball · lie · wax

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bank — for money
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. tear — from crying
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bank — for money
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bank — of a river
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. tear — to rip

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