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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: cold · tube · craft · can · saw · dip · bear · stem

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. can — a tin
  4. craft — a skill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. can — to be able to
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. dip — to sink
  14. stem — to come from
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. cold — an illness
  17. craft — boats
  18. can — a tin
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cold — not warm
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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