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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · tear · march · saw · mate · object · squash · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mate — to breed
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — from crying
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. file — a tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. tear — to rip
  12. object — an aim
  13. mate — a partner
  14. march — music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. march — the month
  17. object — to protest
  18. mate — a friend
  19. tear — from crying
  20. squash — to crush
  21. object — a thing
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. file — a document

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