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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: pitcher · drill · fall · tear · file · land · bulb · safe

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. 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. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. file — a tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. file — a document
  9. fall — to drop
  10. land — a country
  11. drill — army training
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. fall — to drop
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bulb — for light
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. drill — the tool
  24. 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