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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 116 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: mouse · bat · wave · season · mine · pit · bank · kid

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. kid — child
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mine — for digging
  10. season — in sport
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bank — for money
  15. season — of the year
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pit — in a race
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bank — for money

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