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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 · lean · sharp · pop · bulb · pitcher · press

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. tear — to rip
  3. file — a line of people
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. file — a tool
  8. lean — thin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pop — music
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. file — a document
  13. pop — to visit
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bulb — for light
  16. press — a publisher
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bulb — for light
  20. press — to push
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pop — soda

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