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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 120 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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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: wave · cell · bank · stock · file · ball · hide · kick

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bank — for money
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bank — for money
  5. file — a tool
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. kick — in football
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. stock — shares
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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