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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: firm · clip · bound · rush · bank · mate · wave · pitch

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bound — certain
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bank — for money
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bound — tied together
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — steady
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mate — a friend
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bank — for money
  24. pitch — completely

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