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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: wave · bat · club · branch · mate · cue · last · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. club — a group
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. last — to go on
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. last — finally
  8. branch — a division
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. mate — a friend
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mate — to breed
  14. club — for golf
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. last — final
  19. cue — for pool
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mate — a partner

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