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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: date · wake · squash · craft · tear · pitcher · bear · jam

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. tear — from crying
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. craft — a skill
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. tear — to rip
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the sport
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tear — from crying

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