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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: cold · wave · ground · squash · hide · band · suit · branch

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. suit — to fit
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. squash — to crush
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. ground — the earth
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. branch — a division
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cold — not warm
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cold — an illness
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. band — a music group
  24. ground — a position

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