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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: file · tear · cabinet · lie · bulb · pitcher · shower · trunk

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. file — a document
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bulb — for light
  19. file — a tool
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. tear — from crying
  22. shower — rain
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tear — from crying

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