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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — rain
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. tear — to rip
  8. shower — to wash
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wind — moving air
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. club — for golf
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. club — for dancing
  18. lean — thin
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. lean — to bend
  23. club — a group
  24. wind — moving air

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