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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
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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: wake · wave · press · lash · field · cue · branch · spring

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. field — farmland
  3. spring — a coil
  4. branch — a division
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wake — a trail
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cue — a signal
  17. field — a subject
  18. spring — of water
  19. press — newspapers
  20. field — for sport
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cue — a hint
  23. spring — the season
  24. press — to push

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