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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · nail · bear · file · swing · plane · chest · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. swing — to play on
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. swing — music
  11. chest — a box
  12. file — a line of people
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. file — a tool
  18. swing — in golf
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. file — a document
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bear — 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