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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cell — in biology
  4. shower — rain
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cell — a phone
  8. tear — to rip
  9. track — a path
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. file — a tool
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. shower — to wash
  14. tear — from crying
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. key — the most important part
  17. file — a line of people
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. track — to keep track
  20. file — a document
  21. key — for a lock
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. track — a song
  24. key — in music

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