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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: march · sharp · ground · tear · tube · bay · saw · dip

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. sharp — clever
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. march — the month
  16. ground — a position
  17. dip — to sink
  18. march — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. march — the month
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. tear — to rip

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