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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mug — to rob
  3. firm — decided
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. firm — a company
  9. file — a document
  10. mug — a cup
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tube — a container
  15. last — to go on
  16. mug — a face
  17. last — final
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. firm — steady
  20. file — a tool
  21. tear — to rip
  22. last — finally
  23. file — a line of people
  24. current — happening now

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