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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: hide · present · mine · lean · file · bear · pitcher · rush

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. present — a gift
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. mine — for digging
  13. present — there
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. file — a tool
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. present — the time now
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hide — to keep secret

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