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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: wave · bulb · fall · band · file · branch · capital · lie

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. branch — a division
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. file — a line of people
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. fall — to drop
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. capital — money
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. band — a ring
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. fall — to drop

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