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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: rush · file · tear · bay · craft · bear · fine · content

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fine — all right
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. craft — boats
  19. file — a tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. content — happy
  22. bear — the animal
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — a skill

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