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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wake — a trail
  4. tube — the underground
  5. net — for catching
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. content — happy
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. net — after costs
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. net — in sport
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  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