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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 120 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: rush · tear · court · mouse · deal · bear · chip · stem

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. court — of a king
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. court — for sport
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. deal — to handle
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bear — the animal
  23. court — of law
  24. chip — in a computer

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