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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: tear · bear · content · bowl · rest · bound · hand · prune

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bound — certain
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rest — a break
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. content — the amount
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hand — help
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. content — happy
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bear — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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