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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 · bark · charge · tube · wake · cell · bank · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bank — for money
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. charge — in control
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. tube — a container
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. charge — electricity
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bank — of a river
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. charge — a price
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wake — a trail
  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