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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: bank · pitcher · file · wave · hide · rest · cell · mate

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. rest — what's left
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. mate — to breed
  16. file — a tool
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. file — a document
  21. bank — for money
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rest — a break
  24. pitcher — a jug

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