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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: press · branch · wave · mate · rule · wake

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rule — government
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rule — a law
  11. press — to push
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mate — to breed
  18. branch — a division

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