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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: tear · date · rest · spring · cabinet · wound · mark · saw

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — a break
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. spring — a coil
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. saw — the tool

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