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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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Word bank
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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: file · tear · squash · hide · calf · chair

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. file — a document
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chair — a leader
  5. squash — the sport
  6. tear — to rip
  7. squash — to crush
  8. file — a line of people
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. tear — from crying
  14. file — a tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. chair — a professorship

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