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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 · chest · suit · squash · rest · file

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. chest — a box
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chest — of your body
  5. suit — clothes
  6. file — a line of people
  7. squash — the sport
  8. file — a document
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rest — what's left
  11. file — a tool
  12. rest — a break
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — to fit
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tear — from crying
  18. squash — the vegetable

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