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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: present · tear · pound · safe · club · land · rash · squash

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  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. present — a gift
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. land — to come down
  6. club — for dancing
  7. tear — from crying
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. tear — from crying
  11. squash — the sport
  12. land — ground
  13. rash — a series
  14. present — the time now
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. tear — to rip
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. present — there
  22. rash — hasty
  23. safe — out of danger
  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