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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: club · bound · wave · land · stick · board · cell · wax

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. land — a country
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. land — ground
  10. board — a committee
  11. bound — tied together
  12. club — a group
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bound — certain
  16. club — for golf
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wax — to grow
  21. board — to get on
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cell — a phone

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