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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. fine — all right
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. fine — high quality
  9. file — a tool
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. file — a document
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. can — a tin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. can — a tin
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. leaves — to go away

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