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

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pass — a permit
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chest — a box
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. tear — to rip
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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