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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.

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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: tear · wave · arm · chip · ball · band · bound · board

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. ball — a great time
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chip — to eat
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. board — a committee
  7. tear — to rip
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bound — obliged
  11. board — to get on
  12. tear — from crying
  13. band — a music group
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bound — certain
  18. chip — for betting
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. band — a rubber band

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