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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: bound · wave · game · mine · swing · last · leaves · net

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. game — a match
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bound — tied together
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. net — in sport
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. last — final
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bound — certain
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. game — wild animals
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. last — finally
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. last — to go on
  18. net — after costs
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bound — obliged
  23. swing — to play on
  24. net — for catching

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