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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · rush · chair · wind · branch · drill · wave · spell

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. spell — letters
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. spell — a short time
  14. branch — a division
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rush — hurry
  17. drill — the tool
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. spell — magic
  23. mate — a friend
  24. drill — army training

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