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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: rock · saw · pop · chair · wound · march · bound · wave

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. rock — music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chair — a leader
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. march — music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. march — the month
  12. bound — certain
  13. march — the month
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pop — music
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pop — soda
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rock — a stone

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