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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: current · ball · wave · chip · bound · game · plane · land

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. current — electric
  3. ball — a dance
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. land — to come down
  7. bound — certain
  8. ball — a great time
  9. current — of water
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. chip — for betting
  12. current — happening now
  13. game — a match
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bound — obliged
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. land — ground
  19. plane — a tool
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. chip — to eat
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. land — a country

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