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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: cap · row · hide · bat · wave · stand · mate · bank

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cap — a hat
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bank — for money
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bank — for money
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bat — the animal
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. row — a line
  23. bank — of a river
  24. mate — a friend

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