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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. tear — to rip
  3. net — after costs
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. tear — from crying
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. net — in sport
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. band — a music group
  14. bear — the animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hand — in cards
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. net — for catching
  19. hand — help
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bear — to put up with

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