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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · chair · foot · rush · prune · tube · fine · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. fine — high quality
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tube — a container
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rush — hurry
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fine — all right
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. tear — to rip
  22. foot — a measure
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wake — a trail

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