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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: wave · fall · cold · cap · bank · bowl

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cold — an illness
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bank — for money
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. fall — the season
  15. bank — for money
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bank — of a river

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