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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: band · mate · root · race · mug · rule · tear · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mug — a face
  3. tear — from crying
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. race — the arms race
  9. tear — to rip
  10. band — a ring
  11. root — of a word
  12. band — a music group
  13. rule — a law
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mug — to rob
  16. root — of a plant
  17. race — a contest
  18. mate — a friend
  19. root — the cause
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mate — a partner
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. race — humankind

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