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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: file · tear · face · lean · row · object · perch · ball

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. face — to point toward
  3. object — to protest
  4. row — a line
  5. object — a thing
  6. tear — to rip
  7. file — a document
  8. ball — a great time
  9. face — to confront
  10. tear — from crying
  11. object — an aim
  12. tear — from crying
  13. file — a tool
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lean — thin
  19. face — part of the head
  20. ball — a dance
  21. lean — to bend
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. file — a line of people

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