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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 116 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 · spell · board · bulb · file · straw · fall · kick

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. spell — letters
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fall — to drop
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. board — a committee
  10. fall — the season
  11. file — a tool
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. file — a line of people
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. file — a document
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spell — a short time
  20. board — to get on
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spell — magic
  23. kick — in football
  24. board — a flat piece

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