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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bank — of a river
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. file — a tool
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bank — for money
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — a partner
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mate — a friend
  15. tube — a container
  16. file — a document
  17. bank — for money
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. tear — from crying
  20. land — a country
  21. tube — the underground
  22. squash — to crush
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. squash — the sport

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