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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: bank · mug · tube · chest · safe · lash · saw · tear

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. tube — the underground
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bank — for money
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chest — a box
  11. mug — a face
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tube — a container
  15. bank — of a river
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mug — a cup
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bank — for money
  24. safe — out of danger

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