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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 120 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: wave · clip · bound · saw · ball · wound · chip · bear

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. clip — for paper
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ball — a great time
  14. saw — the tool
  15. clip — a video
  16. ball — a dance
  17. saw — the tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bound — certain
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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