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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. track — a path
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pound — a weight
  12. track — a song
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tear — to rip
  20. squash — the sport
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. track — to keep track

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