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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: wound · rule · nail · wave · leaves · club · band · spell

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wound — an injury
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. club — a group
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. spell — letters
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rule — a law
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. club — for dancing
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. band — a music group
  16. rule — government
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. spell — magic
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. club — for golf
  23. wound — an injury
  24. band — a ring

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