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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: file · mate · stock · tear · stick · bear · mouse · straw

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bear — the animal
  3. file — a tool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mate — to breed
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mate — a friend
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. file — a line of people
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stock — shares

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