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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: spell · tear · hand · date · object · mug · mine · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. spell — letters
  7. hand — in cards
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mug — a face
  10. object — a thing
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spell — magic
  13. tear — from crying
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. hand — help
  16. tear — from crying
  17. object — an aim
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bear — the animal
  23. object — to protest
  24. mug — to rob

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