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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: fall · kid · wave · object · lie · file · jam · roll

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. object — to protest
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. lie — to recline
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. kid — to tease
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. file — a line of people
  17. object — an aim
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — a list
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. kid — child
  23. file — a document
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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