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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: band · swing · chip · staff · plane · season · hand · wave

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. chip — for betting
  3. staff — employees
  4. season — of the year
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. swing — in golf
  7. staff — employees
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. staff — a stick
  10. band — a music group
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. swing — music
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. season — in sport

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