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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 · tube · chair · club · bear · file · pitcher · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tube — the underground
  5. club — for golf
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. tube — a container
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a trace
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. file — a tool
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chair — a leader
  18. club — a group
  19. file — a document
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pitcher — a jug

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