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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 120 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 · net · spring · bank · bat · wave · capital · hide

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. spring — of water
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. net — in sport
  5. bank — of a river
  6. net — for catching
  7. capital — money
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. spring — the season
  14. bat — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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