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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: last · pitcher · band · leaves · can · trunk · wave · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. band — a music group
  3. can — a tin
  4. last — to go on
  5. game — wild animals
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. can — a tin
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a ring
  13. last — final
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. last — finally
  24. game — a match

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