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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · swing · foot · race · bear · rest

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. foot — a measure
  3. swing — music
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bear — the animal
  11. race — humankind
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. race — a contest
  18. foot — part of the body

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