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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 116 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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 — a trace
  2. game — a match
  3. rock — music
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. board — a committee
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bark — to shout
  15. game — wild animals
  16. board — to get on
  17. mark — a grade
  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