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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: ball · bank · wave · jam · wake · mine · spring · sharp

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spring — of water
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wake — a trail
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. ball — a dance
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bank — for money
  13. spring — the season
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mine — for digging
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wave — of the sea

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