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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. file — a document
  3. board — a committee
  4. mark — a trace
  5. board — to get on
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. file — a tool
  11. plane — a tool
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mark — a grade
  15. deal — to handle
  16. file — a line of people
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wax — for sculpting

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