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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 · bound · race · temple · mine · season · hand · saw

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. hand — in cards
  3. season — of the year
  4. mine — for digging
  5. race — humankind
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. hand — help
  11. race — a contest
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. race — the arms race
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. mine — an explosive

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