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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — the underground
  3. file — a tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. club — for dancing
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mate — a partner
  8. file — a line of people
  9. club — a group
  10. fork — in a road
  11. club — for golf
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. file — a document
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. tube — a container
  18. row — a line
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. fork — to eat 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