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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: fall · kick · wind · hide · drill · file

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. file — a document
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. drill — army training
  7. file — a line of people
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. kick — in football
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. drill — the tool
  16. file — a tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fall — the season

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