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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: wave · band · chip · capital · game · hide · rest · bore

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. band — a music group
  3. capital — money
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rest — a break
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rest — what's left
  13. game — a match
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bore — to tire
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. band — a ring
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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