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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 120 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: spell · stand · wave · file · can · branch · chest · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. chest — of your body
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spell — a short time
  6. can — a tin
  7. chest — a box
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. stand — to bear
  11. branch — a division
  12. can — a tin
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. file — a document
  15. spell — letters
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. spell — magic
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. can — to be able to
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wave — with your hand

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