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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. tube — a container
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. tube — the underground
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lean — thin
  21. bear — the animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tear — from crying

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