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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mug — to rob
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rock — a stone
  7. tube — a container
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rock — music
  13. bat — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mug — a face
  18. craft — boats
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. craft — a skill
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. craft — a handicraft

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