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

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mate — to breed
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. squash — to crush
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mate — a partner
  17. wound — an injury
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mate — a friend
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wound — an injury
  24. safe — a strongbox

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