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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fine — all right
  4. file — a document
  5. fall — to drop
  6. clip — a video
  7. tear — from crying
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fine — high quality
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fall — the season
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. club — for golf
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. tear — from crying
  19. club — a group
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. prune — to trim

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