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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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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: rest · lean · file · pound · court · land · mouse · wave

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. lean — to bend
  5. land — ground
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. file — a document
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rest — what's left
  10. court — for sport
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. land — a country
  16. file — a tool
  17. lean — thin
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. rest — a break
  23. land — to come down
  24. mouse — the animal

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