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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 116 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. file — a document
  4. land — to come down
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. march — music
  7. land — ground
  8. file — a tool
  9. march — the month
  10. fall — to drop
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fall — to drop
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. land — a country
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. fall — the season

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