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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. file — a document
  4. field — farmland
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rest — a break
  7. object — a thing
  8. tear — from crying
  9. file — a tool
  10. field — for sport
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rule — government
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — to protest
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bore — to tire
  21. rule — a law
  22. file — a line of people
  23. tear — to rip
  24. field — a subject

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