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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: lean · stick · wake · toast · tube · saw · pop · tear

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wake — a trail
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lean — thin
  5. toast — bread
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pop — soda
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pop — to visit
  21. lean — to bend
  22. saw — the tool
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. pop — music

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