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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: racket · rest · wave · lie · mine · file · wake · club

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. file — a document
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. club — for dancing
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. file — a tool

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