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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.

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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 · tear · wind · pitch · bear · lean

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lean — thin
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bear — the animal

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