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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wound — an injury
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. current — electric
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rest — a break
  12. root — of a word
  13. file — a line of people
  14. current — happening now
  15. root — the cause
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. file — a tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — of water
  23. drill — army training
  24. rest — what's left

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