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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: rash · lie · object · field · pop · cabinet · file · wave

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. field — a subject
  4. object — an aim
  5. field — for sport
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pop — music
  8. object — to protest
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. object — a thing
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rash — hasty
  18. file — a document
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. file — a tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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