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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. band — a ring
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. file — a document
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. tear — from crying
  9. content — happy
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. file — a tool
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. content — the amount
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wax — to grow
  18. band — a music group
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. file — a line of people
  22. tear — to rip
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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