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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 120 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: game · deal · net · row · wave · staff · bound · coach

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bound — obliged
  3. net — after costs
  4. staff — employees
  5. game — a match
  6. deal — to handle
  7. staff — employees
  8. bound — tied together
  9. row — a line
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bound — certain
  12. net — for catching
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. net — in sport
  19. row — to paddle
  20. game — wild animals
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. row — a quarrel

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