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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: bank · wave · land · chest · mate · saw · capital · prune

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bank — for money
  4. capital — money
  5. chest — of your body
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mate — to breed
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bank — for money
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. land — ground
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chest — a box
  19. mate — a partner
  20. capital — a city
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mate — a friend
  23. land — a country
  24. prune — to trim

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