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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: rush · tube · plane · stand · file · fan · lie · tear

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. tube — a container
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. file — a line of people
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. file — a tool
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. file — a document
  24. lie — to recline

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