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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fall · land · press · nail · lean · march · tear

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lean — to bend
  3. tear — to rip
  4. file — a tool
  5. land — a country
  6. press — to push
  7. march — the month
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. land — ground
  11. lean — thin
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. file — a line of people
  14. press — a publisher
  15. tear — from crying
  16. press — newspapers
  17. tear — from crying
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — to drop
  21. land — to come down
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fall — the season
  24. lean — to rest against

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