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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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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: fork · tear · wind · calf · spring · mug · pound · shower

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wind — moving air
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wind — moving air
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mug — a face
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pound — a weight

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