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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: bank · date · wave · game · file · kid · board · present

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bank — for money
  4. file — a line of people
  5. kid — child
  6. present — there
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. board — to get on
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. board — a committee
  12. present — the time now
  13. game — a match
  14. present — a gift
  15. bank — of a river
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. game — wild animals
  18. file — a tool
  19. bank — for money
  20. kid — to tease
  21. date — the fruit
  22. file — a document
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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