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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.

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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 · face · spring · pound · arm · cap · pass · file

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. file — a tool
  4. face — to point toward
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. file — a document
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pass — a permit
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. spring — a coil
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. face — to confront
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. file — a line of people
  19. spring — of water
  20. cap — a lid
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pound — a weight
  23. spring — the season
  24. pound — to hit hard

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