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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. charge — a price
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mate — to breed
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. charge — in control
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. charge — electricity
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mine — for digging
  19. tube — a container
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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