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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. shower — rain
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. root — of a plant
  17. shower — to wash
  18. root — the cause
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. root — of a word
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. saw — the tool

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