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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: wake · file · capital · leaves · shower · cell · deal · swing

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. file — a document
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wake — a trail
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. swing — music
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cell — in biology
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. capital — money
  15. file — a line of people
  16. swing — in golf
  17. shower — to wash
  18. file — a tool
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. capital — a city
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. swing — to play on
  23. shower — rain
  24. cell — a phone

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