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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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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 · band · mark · snap · tube · trunk · rest · straw

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mark — a trace
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. tear — from crying
  8. band — a music group
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rest — what's left
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. band — a ring
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rest — a break
  17. tube — a container
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mark — a grade
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. snap — to click

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