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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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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. file — a tool
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. foot — a measure
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. tear — to rip
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. craft — a skill
  12. club — for golf
  13. file — a line of people
  14. craft — boats
  15. tear — from crying
  16. row — a line
  17. band — a ring
  18. tear — from crying
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. band — a music group
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. club — for dancing
  23. row — to paddle
  24. club — a group

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