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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 116 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
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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: mug · staff · tear · can · tube · fork · saw · mine

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. staff — employees
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mine — for digging
  7. tube — a container
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. staff — employees
  10. mug — a face
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mug — a cup
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fork — in a road
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tube — the underground
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mug — to rob

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