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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. 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. drill — army training
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. fork — in a road
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. lean — to bend
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. drill — the tool
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. board — to get on
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lean — thin
  22. drill — a practice
  23. board — a committee
  24. 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