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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: game · wave · season · bound · mark · spring

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. game — a match
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mark — a grade
  7. game — wild animals
  8. spring — the season
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. season — of the year
  11. spring — of water
  12. season — in sport
  13. bound — tied together
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bound — certain
  16. mark — a trace
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. game — a kind of play

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