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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: leaves · bass · capital · rule · ground · fall · wave · file

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. file — a tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. file — a document
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. ground — a position
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rule — a law
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rule — government
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — the fish
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bass — low music
  24. capital — money

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