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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: perch · fine · hand · file · mug · tear · wind · object

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a document
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wind — moving air
  11. file — a tool
  12. fine — all right
  13. object — to protest
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. tear — from crying
  17. file — a line of people
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — an aim
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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