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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: wave · wound · rest · fine · file · pit · coach · clip

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fine — all right
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — an injury
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. clip — for paper
  7. file — a tool
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rest — a break
  11. clip — to cut
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fine — high quality
  14. file — a line of people
  15. clip — a video
  16. file — a document
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wave — with your hand
  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