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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: calf · squash · wind · face · march · prune · file · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wind — moving air
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. face — to point toward
  7. tear — from crying
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tear — from crying
  11. march — music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. face — to confront
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. squash — the sport
  24. file — a 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