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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bore — to drill
  3. staff — a stick
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. tear — from crying
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. tear — from crying
  10. file — a document
  11. tear — to rip
  12. file — a line of people
  13. staff — employees
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bore — to tire
  19. hand — help
  20. shower — to wash
  21. foot — a measure
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. staff — employees

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