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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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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: tube · rush · content · tear · pass · spring · bear · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spring — of water
  4. ground — the earth
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pass — a permit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. spring — the season
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. content — happy
  19. spring — a coil
  20. tube — the underground
  21. ground — a position
  22. tube — a container
  23. bear — the animal
  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