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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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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: bowl · tear · toast · cold · bear · firm · object · tube

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cold — an illness
  12. firm — decided
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. object — an aim
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tear — to rip
  20. firm — steady
  21. tube — a container
  22. toast — bread
  23. firm — a company
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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