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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fall — the season
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. tear — to rip
  5. swing — music
  6. ground — a position
  7. bank — for money
  8. pound — a weight
  9. file — a document
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. file — a tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tear — from crying
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bank — of a river
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bank — for money
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. swing — to play on

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