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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 · hand · bear · mouse · trunk · band · leaves · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bear — the animal
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hand — help
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mark — a grade
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mark — a trace
  19. hand — in cards
  20. tear — from crying
  21. band — a music group
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. band — a ring

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