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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: fall · dip · file · lie · wave · march · bowl · face

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. march — music
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. lie — to recline
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. face — to confront
  13. file — a tool
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fall — the season
  17. march — the month
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. face — part of the head
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. march — the month
  24. file — a document

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