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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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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: field · wave · fall · firm · snap · file · object · cell

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. object — a thing
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fall — the season
  6. firm — a company
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. object — to protest
  9. file — a line of people
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. field — farmland
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fall — to drop
  15. firm — decided
  16. file — a document
  17. object — an aim
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. file — a tool
  20. field — a subject
  21. snap — to click
  22. firm — steady
  23. fall — to drop
  24. field — for sport

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