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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.

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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: tear · stick · last · bowl · saw · hide · bear · kid

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. last — to go on
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. last — final
  16. saw — the tool
  17. last — finally
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. kid — child

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