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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · foot · straw · club · march · rule

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. tear — to rip
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. march — the month
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. club — for dancing
  9. tear — from crying
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. foot — a measure
  12. march — music
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. march — the month
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government

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