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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: wind · ground · suit · calf · can · bat · pound · tear

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. suit — to fit
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bat — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — a tin
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. ground — crushed
  16. tear — from crying
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. suit — in cards
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pound — a weight
  22. suit — clothes
  23. can — a tin
  24. bat — for baseball

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