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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 · land · current · leaves · wave · firm · row · march

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. march — the month
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. current — electric
  5. firm — a company
  6. current — of water
  7. firm — steady
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. file — a line of people
  12. land — ground
  13. row — a line
  14. firm — decided
  15. current — happening now
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. march — music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. land — a country
  21. file — a tool
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. land — to come down
  24. leaves — of a tree

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