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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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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: lean · file · tear · sharp · lash · vault · degree · current

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tear — to rip
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. current — of water
  6. degree — an amount
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. file — a tool
  9. lean — to bend
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. degree — from a university
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — thin
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. file — a document
  23. sharp — clever
  24. degree — temperature

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