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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: tube · swing · tear · spell · cap · deal · toast · saw

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cap — a lid
  4. toast — bread
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tear — from crying
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. tube — a container
  9. tear — to rip
  10. saw — the tool
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. swing — music
  13. spell — magic
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cap — a hat
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cap — of ice
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. swing — in golf
  20. deal — to handle
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. deal — an agreement

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