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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: wave · nail · cold · charge · cap · band · hand · content

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a ring
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. charge — electricity
  10. content — happy
  11. cold — an illness
  12. hand — in cards
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. charge — a price
  15. band — a music group
  16. hand — help
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. charge — in control
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cap — a hat
  24. content — the amount

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