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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · field · suit · branch · wave · wake · tube · shower

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. suit — in cards
  3. shower — to wash
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. field — farmland
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. field — for sport
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. suit — clothes
  11. field — a subject
  12. shower — rain
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. tube — the underground
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wake — a trail
  19. branch — a division
  20. suit — to fit
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. tube — a container
  24. cell — in a prison

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