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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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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 · rule · hide · wave · mate · bat · mine · branch

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bank — of a river
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rule — government
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rule — a law
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bank — for money
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bank — for money
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. branch — a division

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