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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: mate · hand · tear · bear · wake · pit · rush · foot

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mate — a friend
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mate — a partner
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wake — a trail
  17. hand — help
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bear — the animal
  20. tear — to rip
  21. foot — a measure
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wake — before a funeral

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