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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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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: bore · dip · straw · racket · charge · tube · pitcher · tear

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. charge — electricity
  5. dip — to sink
  6. tube — a container
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bore — to drill
  9. tear — to rip
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. charge — a price
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tear — from crying
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. charge — in control
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tube — the underground

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