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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.

Words on the sheet
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: rock · saw · game · cabinet · arm · file · spell · tear

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rock — a stone
  3. file — a tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rock — music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tear — from crying
  22. file — a line of people
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. game — wild animals

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