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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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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: march · net · tube · fall · stem · tear · object · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. object — an aim
  3. tube — the underground
  4. file — a tool
  5. march — the month
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fall — the season
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — to protest
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — in sport
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. file — a line of people
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. stem — to come from
  23. tube — a container
  24. fall — to drop

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