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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. spell — a short time
  3. fall — the season
  4. chest — of your body
  5. file — a tool
  6. craft — boats
  7. fall — to drop
  8. file — a document
  9. spell — magic
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — letters
  14. file — a line of people
  15. row — a line
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. row — to paddle
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. chest — a box
  23. snap — to click
  24. craft — a skill

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