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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: land · present · bound · bass · spring · wave · chip · trunk

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bound — certain
  3. spring — the season
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. spring — of water
  7. bass — low music
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. land — ground
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. present — a gift
  15. chip — to eat
  16. present — the time now
  17. land — a country
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bass — the fish
  23. land — to come down
  24. wave — of the sea

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