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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: saw · row · mine · hide · bank · kid · wave · mark

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — a line
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mark — a grade
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mine — for digging
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mark — a trace
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bank — for money
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. row — to paddle

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