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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: pitcher · tube · tear · mate · track · stem

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. track — a path
  4. tube — a container
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mate — to breed
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mate — a partner
  11. track — a song
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground

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