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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
468
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: dip · bear · mine · file · scale · tear · lean · patient

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. scale — in music
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. file — a line of people
  14. tear — from crying
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. file — a tool
  19. mine — for digging
  20. lean — thin
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lean — to bend
  24. file — a document

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