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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: game · wave · season · bound · mark · spring · chest · board

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bound — tied together
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. chest — a box
  7. spring — a coil
  8. board — to get on
  9. game — a match
  10. board — a committee
  11. season — in sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. season — of the year
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mark — a trace
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bound — certain
  24. game — a kind of play

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