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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lean — thin
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. tube — a container
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. date — the fruit
  16. current — of water
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. current — electric
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. current — happening now
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lean — to bend

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