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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: saw · stick · root · tear · straw · file · race · hide

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a plant
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. saw — the tool
  10. race — the arms race
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. file — a document
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. race — humankind
  18. tear — from crying
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. root — of a word
  23. race — a contest
  24. saw — the tool

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