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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: pop · stand · arm · file · mate · cold · wave · ground

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cold — an illness
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. file — a document
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ground — a position
  14. mate — a friend
  15. file — a tool
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pop — to visit
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pop — soda
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pop — music
  24. arm — part of the body

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