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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: rash · tube · prune · tear · swing · calf · bear · content

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bear — the animal
  3. content — the amount
  4. tube — a container
  5. tear — from crying
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. tear — to rip
  8. swing — in golf
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tear — from crying
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. content — happy
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bear — the animal
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bear — to put up with

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