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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a document
  6. field — for sport
  7. row — a line
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wake — a trail
  12. track — to keep track
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. field — a subject
  16. track — a path
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. track — a song
  21. file — a line of people
  22. field — farmland
  23. file — a tool
  24. safe — out of danger

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