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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: rock · wave · shower · bound · net · ball · file · fine

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rock — music
  3. file — a tool
  4. rock — a stone
  5. file — a line of people
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bound — certain
  8. file — a document
  9. net — in sport
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bound — obliged
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. fine — high quality
  19. shower — rain
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. fine — all right

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