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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: toast · file · ground · band · stick · tear · jam · hide

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. tear — to rip
  6. band — a music group
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. ground — crushed
  12. file — a tool
  13. ground — a position
  14. toast — bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ground — the earth
  22. file — a document
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tear — from crying

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