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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 116 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. club — for golf
  5. rush — hurry
  6. march — music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. march — the month
  10. can — a tin
  11. club — for dancing
  12. march — the month
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. can — a tin
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. club — a group
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rock — music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rush — to hurry

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