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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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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 · kick · mouse · row · bound · racket · swing · band

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. band — a music group
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kick — in football
  6. bound — tied together
  7. row — to paddle
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bound — certain
  16. row — a line
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bound — obliged

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