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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: file · fan · arm · wound · chair · bat · wave · firm

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. file — a line of people
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — steady
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. file — a tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. firm — a company
  12. bat — the animal
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. file — a document
  24. wave — of the sea

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