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

Word bank: pitcher · wind · rock · wake · rest · saw · bear · tear

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rest — a break
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — a trail
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rock — music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bear — to put up with

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