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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: lie · file · leaves · kick · rush · bulb · fall · saw

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. file — a tool
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. fall — the season
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bulb — for light
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. kick — in football
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bulb — for light
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. file — a line of people
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rush — hurry
  22. file — a document
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kick — a thrill

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