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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · leaves · file · lash · fan · stem · spell · game

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. spell — letters
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spell — magic
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. file — a document
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spell — a short time
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a tool
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fan — to cool the air

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