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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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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: temple · file · land · firm · swing · wave · fall · craft

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. craft — a skill
  5. file — a line of people
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. firm — decided
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. file — a tool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. firm — steady
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. swing — in golf
  21. land — to come down
  22. craft — boats
  23. file — a document
  24. firm — a company

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