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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 120 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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468
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: arm · field · wake · file · ruler · bass · can · tear

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. can — to be able to
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. can — a tin
  9. field — a subject
  10. tear — from crying
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. can — a tin
  15. file — a tool
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wake — a trail

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