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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: pop · object · face · bear · pound · swing · net · tear

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. face — to confront
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. net — for catching
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — a thing
  12. net — after costs
  13. face — to point toward
  14. object — to protest
  15. pound — a weight
  16. tear — from crying
  17. net — in sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. swing — music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. swing — to play on
  24. tear — from crying

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