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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · bank · tube · board · club · wound · wave · pop

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bank — of a river
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pop — music
  7. tube — a container
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. tube — the underground
  12. club — a group
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. club — for golf
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. board — a committee
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. club — for dancing

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