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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: march · fine · wave · mine · bear · swing · cell · board

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fine — all right
  6. board — a committee
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bear — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. swing — music
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. board — to get on
  14. cell — in biology
  15. march — music
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. swing — in golf
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bear — to put up with

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