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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: file · leaves · lean · bay · dip · cell · wave · march

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. lean — to bend
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cell — in biology
  9. march — the month
  10. file — a tool
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. march — the month
  13. lean — thin
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. file — a document
  21. cell — a phone
  22. march — music
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. dip — to sink

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