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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. land — ground
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. band — a ring
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. land — a country
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. band — a music group
  22. land — to come down
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. shower — rain

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