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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. suit — clothes
  4. tear — from crying
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. suit — in cards
  7. land — ground
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. land — a country
  11. file — a line of people
  12. land — to come down
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. suit — to fit
  17. tear — from crying
  18. file — a tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. file — a document
  24. branch — a division

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