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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: wave · file · board · lie · current · club · bound · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. current — happening now
  4. board — a committee
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. current — electric
  7. club — for golf
  8. file — a tool
  9. club — a group
  10. mate — to breed
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. board — to get on
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a line of people
  17. current — of water
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bound — obliged
  22. file — a document
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. lie — an untruth

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