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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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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 · dip · wake · rest · march · file · mouse · bay

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. march — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. file — a document
  13. tear — to rip
  14. file — a tool
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. march — the month
  18. dip — to sink
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. march — the month
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wake — a trail

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