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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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468
Word bank
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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wake — a trail
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. file — a document
  12. branch — a division
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tear — from crying
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. tear — from crying

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