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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pound — a weight
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. tube — a container
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. band — a ring
  14. ball — a dance
  15. snap — to click
  16. band — a music group
  17. current — electric
  18. bore — to tire
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bore — to drill

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