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

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cell — a phone
  6. tear — to rip
  7. file — a document
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bore — to drill

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