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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 120 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: mate · track · tear · arm · file · clip · wave · firm

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a document
  6. clip — a video
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. tear — from crying
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tear — to rip
  12. firm — a company
  13. track — a song
  14. firm — decided
  15. mate — a partner
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. file — a tool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mate — to breed
  21. file — a line of people
  22. track — a path
  23. clip — to cut
  24. firm — steady

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