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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tear — to rip
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kid — to tease
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. kid — child
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. can — a tin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tube — a container

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