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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: ground · land · press · fall · file · deal · shower · lie

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. shower — rain
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ground — crushed
  5. press — newspapers
  6. ground — a position
  7. press — a publisher
  8. deal — to handle
  9. file — a document
  10. land — a country
  11. lie — to recline
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. press — to push
  15. land — ground
  16. fall — the season
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. file — a tool
  24. land — to come down

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