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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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Word bank
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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: tear · file · branch · can · bear · sharp · squash · court

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. file — a line of people
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. court — of law
  9. sharp — clever
  10. squash — the sport
  11. court — for sport
  12. tear — from crying
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bear — the animal
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. can — a tin
  18. file — a document
  19. squash — to crush
  20. can — to be able to
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. court — of a king
  23. bear — the animal
  24. file — a 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