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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: mate · band · wave · mine · bound · bat · racket · bank

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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 — belonging to me
  2. band — a music group
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bank — of a river
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mate — a partner
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bound — certain
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bank — for money
  21. bound — obliged
  22. band — a ring
  23. mine — an explosive
  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