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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 120 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: wound · tube · last · tear · deal · pop · hand · stick

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tear — to rip
  3. last — to go on
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hand — in cards
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. last — finally
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. last — final
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pop — soda
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pop — music
  23. deal — to handle
  24. hand — help

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