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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: stand · sharp · wake · bank · cold · patient · mate · hide

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mate — a partner
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. sharp — clever
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mate — to breed
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wake — a trail

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