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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. file — a tool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. file — a document
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bound — tied together
  11. sharp — clever
  12. branch — a division
  13. rock — music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bound — certain
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wave — with your hand

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