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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: present · saw · wave · wind · bank · game · ball · tube

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tube — a container
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wind — moving air
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. bank — for money
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bank — for money
  15. ball — a dance
  16. game — a match
  17. bank — of a river
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. ball — a great time
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wind — moving air
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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