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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. wind — moving air
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. fall — to drop
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kid — child
  21. tube — a container
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. foot — a measure
  24. kid — to tease

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