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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. field — for sport
  3. file — a line of people
  4. field — farmland
  5. fine — high quality
  6. file — a tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wake — a trail
  16. file — a document
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mate — a friend
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fine — all right
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wake — before a funeral

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