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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mate — a friend
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mate — a partner
  18. branch — a division
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. chair — a leader
  21. hand — help
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. key — in music
  24. tear — from crying

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