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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: stock · wave · chair · mate · nail · bank · row · pass

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stock — goods
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bank — of a river
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. stock — shares
  23. row — a line
  24. nail — for a hammer

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