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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 116 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. perch — the fish
  4. file — a tool
  5. cell — a phone
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cell — in biology
  15. kid — to tease
  16. object — a thing
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. object — to protest
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. object — an aim
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. kid — child
  24. tear — to rip

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