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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: leaves · swing · wave · tube · game · bank · chip · clip

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bank — of a river
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. tube — the underground
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. clip — for paper
  16. game — a match
  17. tube — a container
  18. clip — a video
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. swing — music
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chip — in a computer

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