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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: file · mouse · kid · rock · tear · straw · trunk · foot

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. kid — child
  7. file — a line of people
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rock — music
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. foot — a measure
  12. tear — to rip
  13. file — a tool
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. file — a document
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rock — a stone
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. kid — to tease

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