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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. file — a tool
  3. spring — the season
  4. rash — hasty
  5. last — to go on
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. spring — of water
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. file — a document
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rash — a series
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. net — after costs
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. spring — a coil
  21. tear — to rip
  22. net — in sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. net — for catching

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