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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: sharp · row · tear · rest · march · mine · mouse · saw

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. march — music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. row — to paddle
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tear — to rip
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. row — a line
  22. saw — the tool
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mine — an explosive

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