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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 116 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: cue · bear · tear · file · can · bound · rock · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rock — music
  3. can — a tin
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tear — from crying
  13. can — a tin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. file — a tool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bear — the animal
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. file — a document
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bound — obliged
  24. nail — for a hammer

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