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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: mug · safe · cold · file · plane · tear · lash · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. file — a line of people
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. file — a document
  6. mug — a cup
  7. tear — from crying
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mug — to rob
  10. tear — to rip
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. file — a tool
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cold — not warm
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. tear — from crying
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mug — a face

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