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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. tube — a container
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bank — for money
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tear — to rip
  15. can — a tin
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tear — from crying
  23. plane — a tool
  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