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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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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: kick · suit · snap · pound · tube · tear · wind · straw

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. suit — clothes
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. tube — the underground
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tube — a container
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pound — a weight
  13. suit — in cards
  14. tear — to rip
  15. kick — in football
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wind — moving air
  19. tear — from crying
  20. snap — to click
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. suit — to fit

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