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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: deal · lean · file · wave · pitcher · land · march · trunk

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. file — a tool
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. land — ground
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. file — a document
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — music
  13. deal — to handle
  14. file — a line of people
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. march — the month
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. land — a country
  21. lean — thin
  22. march — the month
  23. land — to come down
  24. deal — an agreement

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