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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. prune — to trim
  6. shower — to wash
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. file — a document
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. file — a tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rash — a series
  23. tear — from crying
  24. shower — rain

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