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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: tube · tear · lash · bear · land · cabinet · date · toast

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. land — a country
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. toast — bread
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. land — ground
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bear — the animal
  23. land — to come down
  24. tear — from crying

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