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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. tube — a container
  3. land — to come down
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rush — hurry
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. land — a country
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — ground
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fan — to cool the air

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