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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · plane · capital · pop · file · wound · wave · club

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pop — to visit
  4. club — for golf
  5. file — a tool
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. file — a document
  12. pop — soda
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pop — music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. plane — a tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. club — a group

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