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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. spell — a short time
  3. last — finally
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. last — final
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. board — a committee
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — to go on
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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