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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: rest · game · prune · deal · lash · bear · chest · tube

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bear — the animal
  6. game — a match
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rest — what's left
  11. game — wild animals
  12. prune — to trim
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rest — a break
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chest — a box
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tube — a container

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