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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tear · wound · jam · rash · prune · ruler · tube · plane

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. plane — a tool
  7. tube — a container
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. tube — the underground
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. prune — to trim
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rash — a series
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. rash — hasty
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. tear — to rip
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wound — an injury
  24. prune — to trim

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