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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: tube · pitcher · tear · row · firm · lean · stick · hide

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — to paddle
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. firm — steady
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — to rip
  14. lean — thin
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. firm — decided
  19. row — a line
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. lean — to bend
  22. tube — the underground
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. firm — a company

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