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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: cell · pass · fan · kid · ground · wave · bank · last

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bank — for money
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bank — of a river
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. last — final
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bank — for money
  11. kid — child
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. last — to go on
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pass — a permit
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. cell — in biology

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