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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: club · file · wave · bore · safe · tear · march · date

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. club — for golf
  3. tear — to rip
  4. club — for dancing
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. march — the month
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. file — a document
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bore — to tire
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. file — a tool
  16. club — a group
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tear — from crying
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bore — gave birth

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