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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. roll — a list
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. file — a tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fork — in a road
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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