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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 · temple · file · wave · bear · chair · march · bat

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bat — the animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bear — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — a leader
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bear — the animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a document
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. file — a tool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wake — a trail

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