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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. staff — a stick
  5. tear — from crying
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. staff — employees
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. suit — to fit
  11. kid — to tease
  12. suit — in cards
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. kid — child
  15. tear — to rip
  16. suit — clothes
  17. staff — employees
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bass — low music
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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