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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: tear · chest · tube · rush · fine · temple · row · mug

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — a cup
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mug — a face
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. chest — a box
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fine — high quality
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tube — a container
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mug — to rob
  21. fine — all right
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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