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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: bank · rule · hide · wave · mate · bat

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rule — a law
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mate — a friend
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mate — to breed
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rule — government
  16. bank — for money
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bat — the animal

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