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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · wound · pitcher · toast · bound · wave · leaves · mate

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bound — certain
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bound — obliged
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bound — tied together
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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