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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. tear — from crying
  9. march — the month
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fork — in a road
  12. march — music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. clip — to cut
  17. deal — to handle
  18. march — the month
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. clip — a video
  24. wake — a trail

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