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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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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 · kid · deal · bear · mate · charge · mine · hide

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mate — a partner
  6. charge — a price
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. charge — electricity
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bear — the animal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kid — child
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. charge — in control
  22. tear — from crying
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mine — an explosive

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