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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. file — a document
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. file — a tool
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bore — to drill
  9. tear — from crying
  10. root — the cause
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bore — to tire
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kid — child
  23. root — of a word
  24. cold — an illness

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