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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: mark · rush · branch · spell · season · cold · mine · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. spell — magic
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. spell — letters
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cold — an illness
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mark — a trace
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. branch — a division
  24. mine — for digging

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