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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.

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: file · perch · mine · march · stock · lash · mate · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mate — to breed
  10. march — the month
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. march — music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. march — the month
  15. mate — a partner
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stock — shares
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. stock — goods
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. file — a document
  24. lash — an eyelash

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