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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 116 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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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: pound · wave · fork · rush · wake · lean · chair · file

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pound — a weight
  3. file — a document
  4. wake — a trail
  5. lean — thin
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fork — in a road
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fork — a garden tool

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