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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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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: bear · snap · game · mine · band · chair · board · wave

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. board — to get on
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. band — a ring
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chair — a leader
  10. band — a music group
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. board — a committee
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. snap — to click
  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