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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: rest · land · lean · file · mouse · wave · firm · temple

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. file — a tool
  3. firm — a company
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rest — a break
  6. land — to come down
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. land — ground
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. file — a document
  11. firm — decided
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. firm — steady
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lean — thin
  17. land — a country
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wave — with your hand

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