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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: hand · squash · kick · chair · tear · content · tube · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kick — in football
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tear — to rip
  6. content — happy
  7. chair — a leader
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. content — the amount
  16. tube — a container
  17. squash — the sport
  18. tube — the underground
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. tear — from crying

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