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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: cue · season · band · chip · ball · roll · wave · root

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. band — a ring
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. roll — a cake
  5. ball — a great time
  6. cue — for pool
  7. ball — a dance
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cue — a signal
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cue — a hint
  14. roll — a list
  15. season — in sport
  16. chip — for betting
  17. season — of the year
  18. root — the cause
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. root — of a plant
  23. band — a music group
  24. root — of a word

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