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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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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 · calf · fall · wound · file · pit · plane · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. cap — of ice
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. file — a document
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wound — an injury
  14. file — a tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fall — the season
  17. cap — a hat
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pit — in a race

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