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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: object · bank · rock · wave · land · board · file · court

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. board — a committee
  5. file — a tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. rock — music
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. court — of law
  10. file — a document
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — an aim
  15. bank — of a river
  16. file — a line of people
  17. land — to come down
  18. court — of a king
  19. bank — for money
  20. object — to protest
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. court — for sport
  24. board — to get on

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