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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: march · tear · bowl · spell · sharp · file · can · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. tear — from crying
  4. file — a document
  5. can — to be able to
  6. spell — letters
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. can — a tin
  9. spell — magic
  10. tear — to rip
  11. file — a tool
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. sharp — clever
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. can — a tin
  24. bowl — to roll

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