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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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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: vault · clip · tear · fall · suit · hide · lean · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fall — the season
  4. lean — to bend
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. file — a document
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — to rip
  12. clip — to cut
  13. suit — in cards
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. clip — for paper
  17. suit — to fit
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. vault — a safe
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lean — thin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. suit — clothes
  24. clip — a video

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