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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: band · squash · bank · land · kid · mine · wave · bound

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bank — of a river
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. squash — the sport
  10. kid — child
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. squash — to crush
  20. band — a music group
  21. mine — for digging
  22. band — a ring
  23. land — ground
  24. bound — obliged

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