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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tube — a container
  7. wax — to grow
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hand — help
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hand — in cards
  17. staff — employees
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. staff — a stick
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. staff — employees

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