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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 120 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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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. file — a tool
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wind — moving air
  6. file — a line of people
  7. tear — from crying
  8. scale — in music
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. tear — from crying
  12. file — a document
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wind — moving air
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tear — to rip
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fork — to eat with

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