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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: wound · cap · rock · wave · racket · game · swing · band

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cap — a hat
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. band — a music group
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. rock — a stone
  10. swing — to play on
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rock — music
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cap — a lid
  19. band — a ring
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. swing — music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rock — to move gently
  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