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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: temple · wave · swing · band · board · land · saw · pop

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pop — music
  5. land — to come down
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. band — a music group
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pop — to visit
  17. swing — music
  18. land — ground
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. board — a committee
  22. pop — soda
  23. land — a country
  24. board — to get on

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