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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — a container
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. root — the cause
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. tube — the underground
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. root — of a word
  11. mine — for digging
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tear — to rip
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mine — belonging to me

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