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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: stem · file · rest · mate · jam · wave · leaves · face

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mate — a friend
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mate — to breed
  10. file — a tool
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. file — a line of people
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rest — a break
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mate — a partner
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stem — to come from
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. file — a document
  23. rest — what's left
  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