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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. capital — money
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. lean — to bend
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. board — a committee
  9. capital — a city
  10. root — of a word
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lean — thin
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wax — to grow
  22. root — the cause
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bat — for 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